


My Friends Told Me To Write This Fic So I Wouldn't Get Bored

by reikazemi



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Avengers Family, Avengers always have take-out or delivery, Developing Friendships, Domestic Avengers, F/M, Female Character of Color, Filipino Character, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Medical Inaccuracies, Minor Original Character(s), OFC likes to say fuck, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Sort of Plotless, Steve Rogers Is a Good Bro, Steve and Bucky get drunk on Asgardian wine, Thanos will not be a thing, The Avengers Are Good Bros, There are two characters from another fandom, Thor too, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony and his ridiculous spending habits, but the team didn't split up, i think, is just trying to be a functioning adult, no one wants to cook, shit happens in New York, un-betaed, will add more tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:21:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 37,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23963800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reikazemi/pseuds/reikazemi
Summary: (Better Title Soon)Steve Rogers finds himself a friend in a cafe he frequents after his runs. But after a turn of events, said friend finds herself in need of a place to stay and unemployed. So he does the one thing he knows best. He helps.But it seems that his new friend has more to her than he thought.  What new things will his friend bring into the team?orAll Lauren Grimms wanted when she moved to America, was to to find a job she could build a career out of and save up enough money to retire comfortably. But being friends with a super soldier, not to mention other people with questionable backgrounds/jobs/lifestyles is sure to turn her life upside down. Just what kind of shenanigans has life in stored for her?
Relationships: Avengers Team & Original Female Character(s), James "Bucky" Barnes & Original Female Character(s), Steve Rogers & Original Female Character(s), Tony Stark & Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 22
Kudos: 37





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own anything recognizable in this fic but the story itself and Lauren Grimms.

Lauren Grimms was at a loss, she was on another side of the world from where she grew up. Tired from a day's work, not to mention bruised and wounded from some stupid villain's attack she _somehow_ got caught up in.

Ok, so maybe she _c_ ould explain how she ended up involved but _still_. She helped just this once out of all the times someone insane enough tries to do something as stupid as take-over the world in the Avenger's backyard and she gots fired! What's worse is getting fired also meant she was currently homeless.

Her ex-boss offered the small apartment above the café she worked in as part of her employment. Cooking and baking for a café that opened as early as 7 am called for a broken work schedule, living close-by instead of 2 hours (on a good day) away made it easier for everyone. But now she's out of a job and out of a home because she just had to help, not that she regrets that she did.

So how did she end up in this situation anyway? Well…

* * *

She signed off from her morning shift and decided to get some fresh air after 4 and some hours of only smelling butter, flour, and coffee. She was hanging out just outside the café when, out of nowhere, a very patriotic blur flew past her, missing her by just a few centimeters. Her body froze, but her mind raced. There were no warnings of anything happening in their area. Did she miss the warning sound? Why were there no alarms sounded? Why was I still standing here?

Her last thought got her to move, but instead of ducking into the café for safety, she ran towards where the patriotic blur landed. The man was fully capable of handling himself, she knew that, so then why was she not in the safety of the café? She was sure she didn’t have a saving-people-thing, mind you. But she _did_ have a minor mother-hen streak when it came to people she cared about, and the man in patriotic colors was one of those people. 

Wait! No! Don't even think about going there, she didn't care about him _that_ way. He was a good friend, a regular at the café since she started working there. Besides, he was a good few years older than her, even if you disregarded the years he spent frozen in the Arctic.

_Anyway_ , so she ran to check on her friend, only to find him without his signature ~~trash-lid~~ shield. Frantically, she looked around. She found it just at the mouth of the alley they were in front of. She ran to grab it after she made sure nothing would come barreling into her while she did.

Once she had the shield in her hands, she stepped into the alley to hide. Peeking out to make sure she'd make it back to the shield's owner safely. She was no agent or anyone with formal military training, but she did have some common sense. Risking herself for someone who was a hundred times more capable than her in these situations didn't prove that but she did, just take her word for it. Sure that she won't die or get injured in the next few seconds she makes her way back to her friend who just sat and but was a bit dazed. 

“You okay there Steve?” she asked as she set the shield down. Looking back she should have handed it to him immediately but oh well.

“Lauren?” He asked her as he blinked and shook the last of the cobwebs in his head from the fall.

“Hi, so you almost toppled me over and your shield got away from you when you fell so I got it for you.” She replied still holding the shield as they both stood. She hovered close to him just in case.

“You shouldn’t be out here.”

Just as she was about to reply she found herself being thrown into the alley she just came from. She heard a loud explosion that could have been a few meters away from where they just stood, or maybe farther. She sucked at measuring distances.

“A bit of warning next time.”

She felt fine, albeit shocked form being thrown suddenly but fine. Her bit of sass was evidence of that.

“Lauren you really shouldn’t be here. What are you doing outside the café?” The Captain chided her. She wasn’t really sure why she was being scolded. There were no warnings sent out, really she should be scolding him for not making sure that the warning was sent out.

“Everything was clear just a few seconds ago.” She decided to reply instead of her initial thought. “But yeah I should head back in, help me back?”

Steve sighed exasperatedly but nodded. Besides the remnants of whatever exploded nothing was there. What were they fighting this time anyway? Eh, wasn’t really her business.

They made their way to the café.

She heard a faint hissing sound.

She was still holding the shield.

They were just about to step into the front of the cafe with the shield on her left and Steve on her right where the open was. Then she heard glass cracking. Next thing she knew, they were on the street. Steve was holding her under his shield her just-over-meter-and-a-half-frame ensured she was fully under his huge ass body and his shield. She could hear things clinking onto the shield, bullets probably she didn't really want to know.

She could hear more bullets being shot, this time not at them. She just hoped it meant that it’ll all be over soon.

Yes, she fully regretted letting her mother-hen ways lead her to this. But in her defense, there was nothing to discourage her from doing so just a few seconds ago. Was it just seconds? Maybe minutes? She didn’t really care anymore at that point.

So when it all died down. She found out that the café was littered with bullets. Everyone was safe, thankfully. But all the machines to run the café were out of commission, and boy did her boss get mad.

* * *

She didn't get his reasoning as to why she was to blame. She didn't even remember what her ex-boss had said but evidently, she was now out of a job and a home.

He was gracious enough to let her pack her things before she got booted out permanently. But that still didn’t help. She had nowhere to go.

So that’s how she found herself, about an hour or so later in front of the café she just got fired from, groaning in frustration, trying to find someplace she could stay in with no luck even if she chose options that were a few kilometers further than what she was comfortable traveling. Seems she already ran out of her share of luck for the day.

She sighed, accepting that she’ll probably have to sleep outside for now. Damn New York and its high occupancy rate.

She sank to the pavement, letting herself process everything.

She was unemployed, possibly also homeless for the foreseeable future. She was also on a different side of the world from everyone she could allow herself to rely on

What else could she say, she was fucked.

She groaned, she could feel her eyes starting to water and her heartbeat felt louder in her chest. She did not have the luxury of panicking. Damn it, she needed a distraction.

And a distraction did present itself, in the form of two super soldiers. 

She stood up to greet them even if she felt like she had no strength to keep them up. She gave them a small wave and crossed her arms in front of her.

“Hey Lauren, you okay here?” Steve asked her hesitantly, he shot a quick glance to his darker haired companion who hung back when he noticed the large duffle bag next to her. “Sorry for leaving you like that, but everything’s all clear now.”

She breathed in deeply and tilted her head back trying to stop the tears.

"Hey," she croaked out, mentally cursing her voice for not cooperating, taking another deep breath she begged her voice to cooperate "it's okay Steve, part of the job."

“Are you okay?” Steve asked again, and whatever held back her tears broke. She pressed her lips together in a thin line to stop herself. She tilted her head up in a stubborn effort to stop the tears as she let a curse escape her mouth.

Steve panicked, his hands hovered around her, unsure of what to do. Bucky stepped to his side, shielding her from curious eyes. He gave Steve a pointed look and tilted his head towards her, telling him to the same and turned around. He may not know her but he was sure any lady wouldn’t want some strangers seeing her in her state.

She felt herself get closed in, she let her forehead rest on Steve’s chest. Her hands clutched to his sides as he tentatively patted her back.

No other sound came from her other than small sniffles in her effort to not let her snot get into his suit.

It was a few minutes later when she managed to get her tears to stop falling. Her forehead still rested on Steve’s chest as she wiped away whatever snot managed to escape with her sleeves and the last of her tears with her hands.

“Sorry about that Steve.” She mumbled, still rubbing tears out of her eyes but feeling calmer. She allowed herself to stand straight.

“Hey, it’s no problem. So what happened?” Steve asked her wishing he was in his civvies when he usually carried a handkerchief. He bent down a bit to meet her eyes and let a hand rest on her shoulder.

She breathed in deeply once again and managed to recount what happened calmly though her eyes started to water again towards the end no tears fell.

“Hey, it’ll be okay.” He started, trying to sound as comforting as he could, “how about you stay with us for now?”

Her head snapped up so quickly she was surprised there was no whiplash. “Oh no, no. You don’t have to do that. I’m just the cook at the café you frequent at. I’m not someone who should be anywhere in the Tower other than for maybe a delivery, and even then that isn’t my job anymore. I’ll be ok Steve, really.”

A grunt sounded from her right that reminded her of the other super soldier's presence. Said super-soldier turned around but moved his right side away from her so she wasn't closed in by two super soldier walls.

“From how he talks about you and your food doll, you’re not just some lowly café employee.” Bucky decided to point out, remembering how his fellow super-soldier would talk about the girl in the café he frequented after his runs with pride and fondness akin to an older brother talking about his little sister.

"He's got a point. I thought that we were friends by now."

She flushed. She did just call the blond super soldier her friend an hour and some ago. But she also felt a bit sheepish from finding out that he talked about her to his other friends. It was an honor really knowing that he also thought of her as a friend.

"Steve! Oh gosh, whatever he's told you, I really hope it wasn't anything bad." She spluttered although she knew fully that he'd never do such a thing. He was much too good for that, and they knew that too - If the pointed looks she was getting was any indication.

“As I was saying,” Steve cut in, emphasizing his words to grab her attention, “you’re my friend Lauren, that counts enough to get you into the Tower. Besides, Buck and I were raised to never leave a lady in need.”

“But Steve,” she whined dragging out his name in protest, “you and James aren’t the only ones living in the Tower.”

“Oh don’t worry about that,” he waved his hand as if to swat off her worries, “I’m pretty sure once they find out you’re the one cooking most of the food I bring in, they'll ask you to move in.”

She bit the inside of her cheek. She was flattered that he thought that highly of her food. But she’d really rather not intrude. She didn’t think she was close enough friends with Steve to allow herself to depend on him for this kind of thing. But the prospect of not having to worry about where she would stay was highly appealing. Still contemplating, she met his blue eyes that were practically begging her to concede.

And she did…

“Fine, but only ‘til I find a place to stay.”

"Good, now come on. Since you're staying with us, for now, you better meet your new housemates." Steve cheered, his eyes practically dancing as he guided her towards the Tower.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realized that they wouldn't be staying at the Avengers' Tower post-civil war, but this is a fanfic, so some creative liberties are gonna be at play. Though they will be moving out of the Tower sometime later. 
> 
> Also, I've decided to set this the year after CA: CW happens, just a few months later.
> 
> They still fought and all that but managed to fix things enough to have them all working together again. 
> 
> It all doesn't really matter that much since I don't plan to expound on the whole Avengers plot, this fic is essentially still plotless. But I found it important to point these things out.

Lauren Grimms was a full-grown adult – albeit a small one, compared to everyone else on this side of the globe – but an adult no less. Her full 155cm (just a bit over 5 feet) frame could pass for a kid, her baby face didn’t help either. But still, she was an adult, who was currently away from her family but was unemployed.

At least she wasn’t homeless. But then again, her un-homelessness was because, somehow, she was friends with _Captain America_. She didn’t know how she _should_ feel about it but was thankful nonetheless.

So there she was in the two super-soldiers’ room. If you could call it that. It looked more like a hotel suite, or maybe a large fancy apartment.

Anyway, she was crashing their place after she unintentionally cried in front of them. The thought of it still made her blush with embarrassment. ‘Damn it, Lauren, get yourself together.’

The circumstances that led to her unemployment could have left more to be desired. ‘It could probably be countered in court but that shits too troublesome.’

Shit happens _all the time_ in New York. E _specially_ close to the Avengers’ Tower so she really shouldn’t have been held liable for the damages. But at the time, she couldn’t argue. She was bruised and tired, so she just up and left.

On to the present, she was lying on the floor of the guest room that Steve and James had on their assigned floor (a whole fucking floor could you believe it?!).

It felt unnerving for her to be on the upper floors of the Tower. It wasn’t her first time in the Tower mind you, (but that’s a story for another time) but being in one of the Avengers-only floors was entirely _new_. Not to mention that she didn’t even belong there. She didn’t even work _for_ the Avengers, much less was she involved with them in any kind of official capacity.

She was there just because she managed to act like a decent human being the first time she had to serve Steve in the café. Somehow was enough for them to become friends over several months.

She still couldn’t comprehend how being Steve’s friend was enough to get her a pass to stay with them for a bit, but she was taking it in stride.

So there she was, on the floor, instead of the king-sized bed of the room she was given. A king-sized bed. For a guest room. Things couldn’t be any more ridiculous. But she was welcoming the luxury, because really who wouldn’t? Enjoy it while it lasts.

The room itself could pass for another apartment, it had its living room, a study corner, and of course its bathroom. Everything was obviously of high quality. She knew that Tony Stark was filthy rich but this just emphasized how rich he was.

Speaking of, she still hasn’t even met any of the other Avengers besides Bucky. She expected that she’d meet them before she was brought up but, apparently they were mostly independent outside of emergencies.

Determined to introduce herself to her temporary housemates, she set about to get herself more presentable.

Freshly showered and dressed, Lauren set herself to find the Avengers. Steve and Bucky left her a while ago and was nowhere to be found on their floor. She’d rather not go anywhere alone, but she also didn’t want to be a sitting duck. Though she did remember that the building was run on some sort of artificial intelligence system, so she gave it a shot.

“Uh, hello?”

The living room suddenly brightened up. 

“Miss Grimms, welcome back. How can I help you?” a female voice with an Irish accent greeted her.

‘Huh, so a different one then.’ She mused, though was also surprised that the A.I. seemed to recognize her.

“Hi, I was wondering if you could point me to where Steve is?” She replied as she looked up to the ceiling trying to spot where the camera was so she could look at the A.I. It wasn’t a human being but it sure helped stave off the weirdness of conversing with something you couldn’t see.

“The Captain is currently on the communal floor, would you like me to guide you?”

“Yes please.” She replied to the voice who she still didn’t know the name of. She remembers that the last one was called Jarvis. So, she was pretty sure that this one would have a name too.

Artificial Intelligence’s names aside. She realized that if Steve was on the communal floor, it would mean that he could have company; possibly the rest of the Avengers.

She could feel her shoulders tense and her body trying to stand straighter, trying to look bigger despite her small frame. Oh, she was fully prepared to meet the full team less than an hour ago, but that was then and this is now.

A blue light lit up on the floor in front of her that went on towards the hallway to the elevator. Guess that meant that she should get going, so she took a deep breath and followed the light. Now didn’t _that_ sound morbid?

A few steps and an elevator ride later. She found herself on an open floor, which was a large living room and an open kitchen with a loft over it. She spotted Steve on a barstool in the kitchen, talking to someone she couldn’t see from the elevator. She didn’t see anyone else.

Slowly, she approached Steve, still trying to figure out who he was talking to. It was a man, she figured from the sound of the voice, but most of the Avengers were men so that didn’t help. So she resigned herself to face the inevitable.

“Steve?” she called hesitantly once she heard a lull in the conversation. She didn’t want to be rude.

The blonde super-soldier perked up in recognition and turned around to face her.

“Hey! Glad you could make it. We were just talking about you.” Steve greeted her beckoning her to take a seat next to him.

Finally close enough to see the other person. She found a brunette man with light-colored eyes. She couldn’t tell what color they were but they sure weren’t brown, like hers were. The other man was standing on the other side of the counter munching on a bowl of what looked like blueberries with a glass of milk at his side.

“Blueberries?” He offered, but she was still a bit uncomfortable so she declined. “Suit yourself. So, you must be the Lauren Cap’s been raging on about. You really the one who cooks everything at that café?”

“Uhm, yeah.” She replied hesitantly, still not used to the ease that Americans’ seemed to have when conversing with random people. “Oh! But not entirely, just whatever involves the oven mostly, and the pasta.”

“So basically everything that Cap here’s been bringing us to eat. Your stuff is _really_ good. That stuffed bread thing Steve brings always disappears instantly.”

She really didn’t know what to reply to that. Steve always did order a lot of things whenever he came by. But she just chalked it up to his increased metabolism. It never occurred to her that he’d buy food for the rest of the team too. When Steve mentioned that the team liked her food, she just thought that they had tastes of whatever he’d been buying.

“Thanks, I guess uhm..?”

“Right, introductions.” Steve blurted when he realized they haven’t been introduced.

She felt like she should have been aware of who the members of the team were, as a resident of the Avengers’ backyard that was New York. Though, she was still technically new to the place so they couldn’t really fault her.

“Lauren, meet Clint also known as Hawkeye.”

Recognizing the archer’s alias she took the offered hand to shake and tried her best to have a firm grip on his large hands.

“Oh,” Clint cooed, “nice grip there. Nice to meet ya, Lauren. Clint Barton.”

She gave him a shy smile for his comment but managed to reply with her own name. “Lauren Grimms.”

“Huh,” the sound he made was somewhere between confused and surprised, though he was quick to school his expression. “Sorry, your last name wasn’t exactly what I expected.”

Now she was amused and somewhat smug. There must be only a small amount of people who could surprise any of the Avengers, and so far she’s two for two. Steve had the same reaction when she told him her last name.

She smiled, clearly not as shy as she was a few moments earlier. “Oh don’t worry, Steve had the same reaction. Guess he didn’t warn you when you guys were talking about me before I came in.”

Her veiled taunt earned Steve a glare from Clint, who in turn gave her an amused smile.

“So what _have_ you been saying about me, Steve?” She prodded feeling more comfortable now that she knew who she was talking to.

“I was actually just telling him that you’ll be staying with us for a while.” Steve quickly replied.

“And that your ex-boss was an asshole.” Clint helpfully added, though it didn’t seem to help, as she shot Steve a _look_.

She held the look for a few moments before giving a small smile. She didn’t appreciate that Steve talked about her personal matters to people she didn’t know. But she did realize as his housemate, he had the right to know. So she was thankful that she probably wouldn’t have to repeat her situation multiple times.

“Does anyone else that I haven’t met know?” She decided to ask.

“Tony will probably find out by the end of the day at the latest. Trust Clint here to let everyone else know.” Steve replied, his last statement got a protest.

She nodded in acceptance but fumbled with her phone in worry. She was reminded that Steve didn’t really have the consent of the others for having her there. It was _their_ home after all. She sure wouldn’t be as accepting as Steve seems to put them if she were in their shoes.

Ok, maybe she would if her house was basically a large building.

“Don’t worry about the others. I’m sure they’ll be okay with having you here. Especially with what happened. Though I’m sure if they found out you could cook as well as you do, they’d ask you to stay for good. Heck, _Tony_ would probably offer to pay for you to cook for us.” Clint offered in comfort when he noticed her fumbling.

Hearing the same statement she heard earlier in the day settled her nerves. Though his last statement surprised her.

“I don’t think my cooking is good enough for Tony Stark’s taste.” She contested in disbelief.

“Really Lauren, your food’s _that_ good.” Steve dissuaded, knowing her disbelief wasn’t from being humble. It was something he, himself, still had, even after the serum.

As much as she trusted Steve, she still didn’t believe him. She knew she wasn’t that good but he was adamant that she was. Though she did believe that he found her food enjoyable.

“I’ll believe you when he makes the offer himself.” She decided, ending the debate.

“Oh, _now_ that’s just a challenge.” Clint declared.

She involuntarily shuddered. There was a glint in his eye that told her she should be worried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really hope I didn't portray any of the characters too bad. There's a reason why it's written in 2nd POV. More on Lauren's background and her friendship with Steve in the next chapter (hopefully).


	3. Chapter 3

It’s been a few hours since Lauren met Clint. They talked a bit more before they went their separate ways. Steve went to do what he usually did in his downtime. While Lauren, on the other hand, decided she should fix her things in the room, or maybe she try the king-sized bed.

Regardless, she managed to meet another Avenger. Clint seemed to have accepted her presence easily. It was comforting that he did, but still unnerving. She can’t comprehend _why_ he was so accepting. She’s thankful, but she’ll probably feel awkward until she had all of the Avengers’ ‘OK’.

Speaking of the rest of the Avengers. She should probably try to talk to James more. He _was_ the first one to give his approval after all. Plus, they’ll also be roommates for the foreseeable future, not to mention that he’s Steve’s best friend.

But all that – talking to James and getting the other Avengers' OK – will come later. First, she should get settled in.

Later that afternoon, Lauren was finally settled in her room. She was lying down on the bed – which was _super_ comfortable by the way – feeling the most content she’s been since moving to this side of the world. She was comfy but restless. She’d already managed to roll around the entire bed but couldn’t get rid of her restlessness.

So, she decided to stick to what she always did. Which meant that she should be cooking at the moment. She wasn’t hungry herself, but it was something to keep her busy. Besides, Steve and James would probably appreciate some homemade food.

It was still a bit early to be starting dinner. So, rather than making a quick snack, she decided to make something that needed a few hours to cook. Some bread from scratch and stew maybe. Although, she first had to find out if there was actually something in the kitchen she could work with.

She made her way to the kitchen, after making sure she looked decent enough. Steve didn’t mention where he was off to and James hasn’t turned up yet. It was better to save herself the embarrassment of being seen in her comfiest with people she wasn't that familiar with. 

Turns out there wasn’t _anything_ she could work with. Which was surprising in itself. She expected the two super-soldiers to have _some_ kind of emergency stock of food. Steve explained their fast metabolism to her when he first bought all the stuffed bread-rolls they had to offer. That particular incident led her to make sure she always had some reserved in the freezer and ready to bake. But that was irrelevant.

The kitchen was barren save for some beer and fruit. Those didn’t make for a meal. There weren’t any other ingredients either, not even salt.

But she wasn’t ready to accept that there was literally _nothing_ for her to cook in the kitchen. She was desperate for something to keep her busy. So, she set about doing another sweep of the kitchen.

Just as she was about to give up. The sound of someone hitting their foot on a barstool made her jump and cuss.

Only to find James groaning and hunched over the counter.

“Holy shit, James, you scared me there. I didn’t even hear you come in.” She chided, her heart still running a mile a minute. Her cheeks felt warm from being caught in someone else’s kitchen. “You okay there?”

James huffed and shook his head. She wasn’t sure what it meant. So, she decided to wait.

“I’m okay.” He groaned. “Sorry, I wanted to catch your attention when you turned around. That bar stool isn’t usually there.” He apologized, his metal hand found its way to the back of his neck.

“Glad to know even super-soldiers keel over from hitting their toes.” She quipped before she could stop herself.

It surprised both of them apparently.

She’d heard of James a lot from Steve. She couldn’t help but feel like she knew him already. But she really shouldn’t be acting so familiar with him. They haven’t even had a proper conversation yet.

But before she could apologize, James let out a hearty laugh.

“We’ll get along just fine if you keep that up.” He chuckled, “So what’re you doing in the kitchen?”

If she was already blushing earlier, she probably looked like a tomato now.

“I… uh… I…” She stammered. Her mouth wasn’t cooperating with her.

“Relax kid,” he waved, trying to sound as unthreatening as possible. But somehow that just made her feel more embarrassed.

“Let me guess, trying to find something to eat?”

“Sort of?” She started. “I was actually trying to find something to cook. I’d usually be busy in the kitchen at this time. If I was still in the café, that is. So, I thought I’d make something for dinner.”

“Well you won’t find anything in here, that’s for sure.”

“I see that. I was on my 2nd sweep when you decided to announce yourself.”

Somehow that made him smirk. She wasn’t sure, but it felt like he was teasing her. She very much would like to sink into the floor now, please.

“The only kitchen that’s stocked is the communal one. Though, none of us could be bothered to cook. We always have take-out or delivery.”

“Why am I not surprised? Guess that means I should find something else to do.” She sighed. She wasn’t in the mood to workout at the moment. She was banking on cooking to ease her restlessness.

“Why not? It’s called communal for a reason.” He inquired with an eyebrow raised.

“I don’t want to impose. Besides, I’ve only met 3 of you guys so far. I expect that the others would be hostile to an unknown person in their kitchen. I’d prefer to stay alive, thank you very much.” She explained, her face cooling down as she went on.

“Come on then.” He prompted as he pushed off the counter.

Not comprehending what he intended to do. She just stood there, staring at him with her eyebrows knitted.

“You wanted to cook right? I’ll keep you company, so you don’t die if anyone else comes in.”

Her eyebrows shot up to her forehead. She wanted to argue but he was already headed to the elevator.

* * *

And that was how she found herself in the communal for the second time that day. She stood just outside of the kitchen, still hesitant. She turned to look at James for reassurance.

“It’ll be fine,” he drawled, “if it helps any, you should probably consider cooking enough for 2 super-soldiers, 2 assassins, a flying monkey, an old man, and the Hulk. They’ll appreciate having a home-cooked meal for once.”

“And I’m assuming that the Hulk’s appetite could pass as a super-soldier’s?”

“It’s close, be thankful that Thor isn’t around.”

Her face scrunched up. She was trying to figure out just how much food she should be preparing. Her look, apparently, was amusing enough to earn a chuckle from the metal-armed man.

Mumbling her calculations under her breath, she set about to look at what she had to work with. She was pleased to find a variety of ingredients. Enough that she could probably cook more than 10 different kinds of dishes. What surprised her was the quality of ingredients. Everything looked good enough for a 3 Michelin Star restaurant. Tony really did know how to spend his money.

“James, are there any food restrictions I should know about?” She asked absent-mindedly.

“Nah, though Bruce usually avoids beef if that helps.”

Nodding her head in confirmation. She set herself to work. She pulled out multiple things at once, only setting them down when whatever container she had was full. Even then she tried to take out as many things as her arms could handle.

James decided to just settle down into one of the bar stools, seeing as his companion was too focused for any kind of conversation. He was there to make sure she wasn’t attacked by a paranoid assassin after all. Although he was surprised to see her ease in carrying all the ingredients she managed to fit in her arms. He was also amused to see her flitter about in the kitchen. He resigned himself to silence and settled into watching her for the next hour or so. 

It was almost 2 hours later when Lauren stopped flittering about. She was pleased. Her restlessness has settled down. She could feel herself at ease after doing something she was familiar with, even if it was in an unfamiliar place. She decided to take a seat next to James while she waited for the timers she set to ring.

“Welcome back to the real world.” James greeted when she settled down on her seat.

She couldn’t help but make a face at him. “Shush you. You’re the one who told me to cook enough to feed a small platoon. Hopefully, there’ll be enough to have leftovers.”

“What’re you making anyway? I was watching you work, but all I figured out was that there’ll be roast chicken of some kind.” He queried, his nose twitching as the smell of food wafted over.

“Green salad with homemade mayo, beef stew, mashed potato, fried rice, and brownies for dessert. I thought that I’d be making a larger variety of food at first. If the pots weren’t large enough, I mean. Thankfully, Mr. Stark, or whoever was responsible for stocking this kitchen, had enough sense to acquire some large enough pots.” She answered, then started to ramble on about how surprising it was that the kitchen cabinets had enough space to keep said pots out of sight.

“You seem to be used to cooking for a lot of people,” James commented when she finished rambling.

“Hm..? Well, I _was_ working for a café before this you know.” She replied a-matter-of-factly, feeling a bit surprised that he hadn’t realized that, ‘Or maybe he’s just trying to make small talk?’

“No, I meant that you’re used to cooking things in large amounts.”

“Oh…. Oh that, yeah. My family tended to have a lot of gatherings. Always found a way to get together one way or another. I was called to cook most of the time.”

“So how long have you been cooking? Is that why you’re on this side of the world?” James continued to ask, taking the opportunity to get to know Lauren better.

“I started to cook when I was about 8, I think? And no, the job at the café was more of a necessity. I’m actually here to look for another internship, or ideally, a job that’s more secure than working at a café, but I’ll take what I can.”

“Why not though? You seem to enjoy cooking a lot. Why not make a career out of that?”

“I would, but my parents aren’t getting any younger you know? I’m still young, but one way or another, my parents expect me to settle down as soon as I can. To be able to take care of them when they’re older and all that. A career in the service industry would prevent that I guess. I’m just glad they aren’t asking for any more grandkids.”

“You have siblings though?” James clarified

“I do. I’m not sure how it is here. But in our culture, it usually falls to the youngest to take care of their parents in their old age. That and putting our elderly in care homes is frowned upon.”

Her answer brought a grimace to his face.

It was an uncomfortable topic for her to expound on. “Anyway, I was wondering. Are there any cheap gyms around here? As much as I enjoy cooking I’d rather not spend the whole day in the kitchen.” She tried, changing the topic.

“Why not just use the gym here? It’s free.” James answered, recognizing that she wanted to change the topic. “Whatever workout you have, I’m sure the gym could more than handle it, with how tiny you are. Though this building could handle the Hulk on a good day.” He decided to add.

She was tempted to smack him on the arm for the height comment. But she remembered that the arm closest to her was made of metal. She’d just be hurting herself.

“Guess Steve didn’t tell you what made him talk to me more then.” She started, intending to use the story as an explanation for her preference in gym location. She remembered Steve’s reaction and that caused a big of smugness to bleed into her tone.

James raised an eyebrow at her tone. He was curious about how the start of her friendship with Steve connected with a workout, but the smugness in her tone baffled him.

“I tried to help her bring in a sack of flour. She just gave me a look and hefted the thing over her shoulder.” Steve chimed in, alerting them of his presence as he walked towards them.

“Steve! Just in time. I made some food. It should be ready any minute now.” Lauren beamed jumping off her seat to check on the food.

“What?” James sputtered, “She probably weighs as much as one. You aren’t playing with me are you Stevie?”

“Nope,” Steve answered popping the ‘p’ “I asked her about it when she came out later on. You know, if she was sure she was a normal human. Apparently, the little lady just likes to lift heavy things. She doesn’t usually feel comfortable lifting in a gym that isn't on the ground floor or a basement. What’s your max now by the way?”

“Ugh, last I checked it should be around 100kg for both the deadlift and squat but I haven’t actually tested.”

“You sure you aren’t enhanced? Or maybe a mutant? How in the world does a tiny little thing like you lift that much weight?” James cajoled teasingly, knowing that she’d react to the height comment.

“Keep that up and I won't be serving you any food.”

“I could serve myself you know.”

Lauren just rolled her eyes. Making the two men laugh at her expense.

“Oh sure, keep teasing the one who’ll be saving you from take-out food.”

That made them shut up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're wondering why she calls him James instead of Bucky. She feels that she should get to know him better first before using his nickname. 
> 
> And yes, I just made Bucky call Sam a flying monkey and Tony and old man. He's physically only about 30 years old after all.


	4. Chapter 4

It’s been three days since Lauren was offered a room at the Avengers’ Tower. And despite Steve being adamant that the rest of the team knew of her presence in the Tower, and that she had Tony’s blessing. (Tony did own the building after all.) She was still feeling unsure of her continued stay. She still wanted to hear the rest of the team's approval personally. In the meantime, she found herself strapped into the role of the team cook. 

On her first morning in the Tower, Steve realized that he would not be having his favorite post-run snacks. Lauren made sure to point out that the café would still offer the same items, despite her absence. Steve argued that it wouldn’t be the same if it wasn’t made by his favorite baker. To say that she hadn’t turned into a tomato after would be a lie. She’d probably stick to the lie it until she was old and senile. She was touched and flattered though. So just before they went their separate ways, she offhandedly declared that her roommates would always have something to eat in the morning, as long as she lived there that is. She made sure to make a quick exit to prevent any protests.

She later got them to bring down the ingredients she would need to their personal kitchen from the communal one. When asked why she explained that she was uncomfortable with using the communal kitchen despite only cooking for the three of them. It was something ingrained to her as she grew up. To make sure to always make enough food for everyone who had access to where ever she was cooking. Her roommates then had her make a market list with Friday, so the A.I. could stock their personal kitchen with whatever she needed.

Besides providing her roommates breakfast, she continued to cook dinner for the whole team. On her 2nd night, When she was about to start dinner, she was pleasantly surprised to find that there were no leftovers. She figured everyone ate dinner at odd hours, or whatever was leftover was eaten for lunch. So, she decided to keep on cooking dinner. She hoped that the long hours she spent in the communal kitchen would present an opportunity to meet the others.

So far she hadn’t seen any new faces. Clint had, quite literally, dropped in for dinner on her second night. He also appeared for the snacks she whipped up while preparing. His timing was impeccable and made her curious. She thought she heard James mumble something about air vents when she asked about it, but she wasn’t sure.

Overall she was settling in well in the Tower. 

On her 3rd day at the Tower, she decided to take up James’s offer to use the gym. She needed some exercise. Steve invited her to join his runs with Sam but she declined. She knew she wouldn’t be able to keep up with them, it’d be a death sentence for her to try.

After preparing breakfast for her roommates and a large cup of strong coffee. She asked Friday to guide her to the gym.

Lauren was pleasantly surprised to find the proper equipment she needed. All the good stuff too. She was starting to get used to the fact that she will always find the best of everything while she was in the Tower. She was already loathing the day she would have to leave.

“I wonder if I could get any music playing in here.” She voiced out absently.

“Good morning Miss Grimms, what music would you like to play?” Friday’s voice sounded out, startling her out of her musing. She was still unused to the idea of a semi-sentient system always being available to help.

“Fuck, I forgot you were a thing. Hi, sorry. Uh, any classic rock maybe?” She managed to answer after almost literally jumping out of her own skin. She was quite glad that there were no witnesses to her embarrassing reaction.

And just like that Ram Jam’s Black Betty started to play. Lauren grinned, whoever managed the music library had good taste.

Fully motivated and pumped-up on coffee, she went about starting her routine. She eyed the available weights and tested the weight of the barbells, trying to get a feel of how much she wanted to start off with. She decided to start on an empty barbell and work her way up.

About halfway through her workout, she didn’t notice that someone had entered the gym. Said person decided to keep quiet and watch.

Lauren set herself under the bar, unaware of being observed. She squatted the weight 5 times, then decided to do another 3. The last squat was obviously harder than the rest but she managed. She set the bar back onto the rack with a loud huff.

“You must be Lauren.” A voice called when Lauren’s breaths calmed.

“What the…!” Lauren exclaimed, her body turning like a whip in surprise. “What the fuck is it with you guys and jumping me like that? Is there some sort of game I’m not aware of?” She complained not really registering the unfamiliarity of the voice. She expected it to be one of the people she had met.

If she wasn’t so surprised, she may have noticed that the voice was unfamiliar to her. Not to mention that it was from an entirely different gender from the people she knew in the Tower.

Her comment earned her a pointed look. Only then did she notice the very female features of her assailant.

“Oh…” Lauren sputtered, at a loss for words. Still trying to register who she just snapped at. The woman’s green eyes were intimidating.

Lauren thought she knew exactly how intimidating women could be. She grew up around a few after all. She liked to think that she could be an intimidating presence herself. But the woman in front of her was a different kind of intimidating. Her presence was almost lethal, in a way, as if she was…

“Oh!” the sound took on a tone of recognition, making the other female smile.

“Natasha Romanoff.” The woman finally introduced herself. She held a hand out for Lauren to shake that she hesitantly shook. She was very intimidated by the other woman. Whatever confidence she thought she had seemed to falter.

Natasha noticed her hesitance and pointedly ignored it. Clearly, she was more interested in something else and had no qualms in making Lauren uncomfortable. She also seemed to be pleased with the other’s reaction.

Despite feeling cowed by the other woman. Lauren couldn’t help but plow right on, asking for the Black Widow’s personal approval on her presence in her territory.

Yes, territory. Lauren felt like prey under her predator’s mercy.

So she was surprised by how casually said predator accepted her.

“The food helped, honestly,” Natasha explained. “I thought Steve got take out from the café he’s been telling us about. Which was unusual, since he only went to the café in the mornings. Clint told me about you. After I asked why there weren’t any of the usual extras of Steve’s post-run snacks. Your boss is an asshole by the way.”

“Good thing he isn’t my boss anymore then,” Lauren stated almost amused that she’s been hearing the same things from the Avengers she’s met so far.

“Oh, were you going to use the gym? I’m nearly done, about 20 minutes more if you’d prefer to do your workout alone.” Lauren enquired after noticing Natasha's workout clothes.

“I was actually curious about yours, mind if I kept watching?” Natasha answered. Though, from the way she spoke, it was clear that she was going to watch regardless of what Lauren said.

“I could teach you. After I finish that is.” Lauren offered hesitantly. The lull in conversation seemed deafening to her, even if she was aware of the music that played in the background.

Natasha didn’t answer for what Lauren felt like an embarrassing 10 minutes. But really it was only a few seconds later when Natasha nodded her head in acceptance.

And that was how the two resident females of the Avengers’ Tower spent the rest of their morning.

They got on like a house on fire. Both women were so starved with female companionship. They already had an unspoken agreement to spend as much time together as they could. So, after cooling down from their workout and showering, the two ladies spent the rest of the day together. It was mere coincidence that it was Natasha’s free day and Lauren had nothing else to do for the next few hours.

They found quite a lot of mutual ground. Both had the tendency to be surrounded by males, who, to their irritation and amusement, were more dramatic than they were. And when they weren’t complaining and laughing over the men in their lives, they went into the finer aspects of being a female.

Lauren asked Natasha how she could still look so feminine but so badass at the same time, even in regular clothes. To which Natasha decided on letting Lauren try some of her clothes. Lauren didn’t want to accept at first, as she didn’t have the same proportions as the other woman. But she acquiesced when Natasha had suggested they stick to tops that would work with whatever bottoms she had.

They also exchanged tips and tricks on everything they could think about. Natasha somehow decided to share some tips related to her profession whenever she found a topic she could connect it to. Like how to properly hold a kitchen knife as a weapon, or how to properly use stiletto heels to defend oneself. You know, just in case.

And that was how they were found by Steve, James, and Clint. They were very amused to find Natasha inadvertently claiming Lauren as her protégé. But they were quick to break up the mini-training session. They were on a mission to ask for Lauren for food.

Lauren who realized that the men’s presence meant she was behind schedule in dinner preparations. She was quick to start working but was surprised to hear Natasha offer to help. She was loath to turn it down after spending the day with the red-headed woman.

“Thanks, but I’m kind of… I prefer to work alone in the kitchen… if that’s okay…” Lauren explained hesitantly, wincing when she saw the calculating glint of Natasha’s eyes. Though it passed so quickly that she wasn’t even sure if she actually saw it. She couldn’t mistake the look of understanding that adorned Natasha’s eyes though. But it was enough for her to amend her statement. “I’d love your help with the salads though. When I finish preparing everything that is.”

“I’ll be waiting right here then.” Natasha grinned and giving Lauren a small nod of approval. To which Lauren mouthed her thanks as she set off to prepare.


	5. Chapter 5

Lauren Grimms has been staying with the Avengers (Steve and James specifically) for a week. It’s been a week, and she still hasn’t met any of the other Avengers. Which was curious at least. She thought of asking Friday about the other residents of the Tower. but she thought it might be a bit intrusive. She felt torn. On one hand, she wanted to get it all over with and finally have the reassurance she needed. On the other, she was thankful that she was meeting them individually. They’d be a hell of a lot more intimidating together. Nonetheless, it was grating on her.

With a sigh, she left the comfort of her bed.

Outside, she could see that it was a fine day out. Despite that, she felt a chill pass through her. Having a fair amount of experience with the supernatural. (Aliens and super-soldiers included.) The chill caused her to fill with dread.

There were only two people in Lauren Grimms’ life that caused such feelings. One she could work with, the other…

Let’s put it this way, if she had to choose between meeting all the Avengers, while in what she preferred as lounge clothes, or being confronted by the 2nd person; she’d go with the former.

So she _really_ hoped that the one who called was the 1st one.

And just when she thought that she was probably imagining the chill, her phone rang – almost deafeningly so.

“Fuck.” As much as she wanted to avoid it, she really couldn’t. Avoiding the call would just make it worse. So without checking the caller ID, she answered.

_Lauren Virginia Grimms! Just **when** were you gunna tell me you were fired?! Seriously, we don’t talk for a few weeks and this?!_

The distinct New Orleans accent gave the caller away. Lauren let out a sigh she didn’t even realize she was holding in.

_D’ya even think of callin’? And where the fuck have you been stayin’ all dis time? Ya need me to get ya? Oh, just wait ‘till Iris hears about dis._

The last statement drew a groan. She doesn’t need two frantic calls in one day, thank you very much. She wanted to answer the barrage of questions. She knew she had to wait for her friend to finish before she could though.

_An’ don’t ya wait for me to tell her, better tell ‘er yerself. Ya know how she is. Now text me if you need me. Can’t keep chattin’. Dun’ forget to tell Iris too ya hear me? Bye! Text me._

“Greez..!” was all Lauren could say before the call ended.

“Why do I even bother...” She sighed staring at her phone. Of all the things, _this_ was the one she really shouldn’t have forgotten. She knew she should’ve told her friends what happened. But as mentioned, they were on the other side of the world. She didn’t want them to _do_ anything about it – as much as she knew that they could. The offer of staying with the Avengers took precedence. It ensured that she wasn’t homeless, sue her.

With a heavy sigh, she composed her message that answered all the questions she could remember. She made sure to emphasize that she was _fine_ and that they _definitely_ didn’t need to do anything. She considered telling them that she was staying with the Avengers but set that aside for later. It was time to cook breakfast.

Her thoughts stayed on her two friends. What kind of trouble could they be up to now? Hopefully, something time consuming and important. So they wouldn’t be on their way to her. Her friends weren’t mothering like she had the tendency to be. But they were the types to help you at the drop of a hat – no questions asked. They’d be sitting in jail with you if you ever found yourself in one.

She missed them a lot. They’ve kept in contact since the end of the exchange program a few years ago, meeting occasionally every few years. They were good friends.

Her reminiscing distracted her enough that her hand, that was holding a sharp serrated knife, slipped. What was she doing? She was trying to shave off the cheese she forgot to transfer to the chiller from the freezer last night. Her impatience and forgetfulness resulted in a deep cut on her forefinger.

She tried to stop the bleeding by holding a towel on the wound as she raised it above her head. Running water on the wound was a bad idea. She could feel the wound throb, not to mention she was starting to feel cold.

She had no idea where the first aid kit was. She didn’t like the idea of walking to the building’s infirmary. She wasn’t losing a significant amount of blood, but the chill made her cautious. She didn’t even know if there was an infirmary in the building. Her only option was to ask for help.

“Steve? James? You guys there?” She chanced, hoping they decided to skip their morning exercise. She waited.

A full minute later, she heard no reply. With a sigh, she resigned to going to the infirmary

“Friday? I cut myself pretty deep. Can you tell me where the infirmary is?”

“Miss Grimms, I’ve already called for the Doctor.”

With that, she sat down to the closest chair. She forced herself to breathe deeply as she tightened her hold around the bleeding finger. It continued to pulse against her hand. Lulling her into a daze. She absently wondered if the doctor that was arriving was part of the team or was a hired-medical staff. But her mind quickly wandered back to the thoughts that caused her predicament.

She wasn’t sure how long she waited. But she was caught unaware by a soft tap on her shoulder. If it wasn’t for the definite presence of another person in the room, she would’ve thought that she was imagined it.

She was greeted by brown eyes matched with salt and pepper hair. The owner of said features took a large step back when she startled. Something told her it was more than just a reaction to her jump. He wasn’t cautious about greeting a stranger. It was more like he was used to treating himself as the most dangerous thing in the room. Which was odd because his appearance was anything but.

“Doctor,” Lauren mouthed unsure. But there really was only one person in the building that would act like so. Which meant that this was: “Banner, right? Doctor Bruce Banner?”

There was a shine of relief, that was immediately overtaken by curiosity. It was enough to tell that her guess was right.

“I was told that you needed assistance?” He started, his eyes darting to her injury. He set his med-kit on the counter, seeing the amount of blood on the towel. He quickly set to work.

“How bad is it?” Lauren asked, slowly, starting to feel lightheaded.

“It’s not too bad. It didn’t reach the bone, but still quite deep for a knife cut. Not the worse. Though, we’ll have to bandage that pretty tightly. It’ll deform the shape of your finger a bit when it heals, but it won’t be noticeable.” He explained as he cleaned her wound methodically. His touch almost feather-like, as if any more force would break her.

“I’m made of tougher stuff than glass you know.” Lauren blurted. She wasn’t annoyed, at least, she was trying not to sound annoyed. She was aiming for reassuring and probably failed.

Or not? Whatever it was that her statement accomplished made the doctor pause from his task, and owlishly blink at her. He tried to reply but only ended up stuttering.

She couldn’t help but grin. She managed to baffle one of the smartest minds in the world, fun.

She took pity and decided to explain herself.

“I’m not scared of the Big Guy you know. If that’s what’s got you all cautious. Besides, if Steve trusts you then I do too.”

Though he restarted his ministrations, he was thoughtful. Indicated by the slower pace of his care.

“I _was_ wondering which of the two you were…” he paused to think of the appropriate term, unsure what to call her, “associated with. We aren’t exactly the type to have civilians as friends.” He half-stated, half-questioned. Though the implication was stark.

Two men out of time, an assassin, a spy, an alien with superpowers, an introverted genius, and a paranoid genius (philanthropist, playboy, billionaire) and then some. They really weren’t the type of people you’d see making friends with civilians. She wasn’t exactly a civilian though. ‘Oh, if only they knew.’

“What did Clint tell you exactly?” She wondered, Natasha, she knew, was told everything. So why was he told less?

“The others tend to walk on eggshells with me. The only ones that don’t are Tony, Nat, Cap, and Bucky.” He answered her unvoiced question.

She wasn’t voicing her thoughts out loud was she?

“Clint told me: ‘The two supers have a guest over, her boss was an asshole’. I just took his word for it. I’m curious about why your boss - ex-boss – was an asshole though.”

He was already finished tending to her wound by the time she finished explaining.

“Wow, so he is an asshole… There’s something else though,” He hesitated. A silence settled between them.

She waited. Bruce was definitely the odd one out in the team, she observed. From what she’s heard, everyone else would have an overwhelming and intimidating presence. He did too, but that was mostly because of the other guy. Bruce Banner himself felt comfortable, the type of person you’d be okay to share a table with – if that made sense.

“How come you aren’t scared?” He asked softly.

She wasn’t sure if she heard it right, the tone that is. It was like he was scared, or was it relief? Maybe, she tried not to read into things like this. But she replied anyway, without really thinking about it.

“I don’t really see the point I guess? I mean, I know the other guy’s more dangerous than Steve and Bucky, or anyone else in the team for that matter. But I guess, I see him kind of like a weapon. You could say I see you all that way. What makes a weapon dangerous is the wielder. And you, doc, are just a cinnamon roll.”

“Cinnamon roll?” He asked, bewildered. It was the first time he’s heard the term apparently.

“Yup, soft, fluffy, and oh so nice. Thanks for the assist doc.” She replied with a smile.

And just as she finished her thanks. Her phone rang for the second time that day. It seems that she’ll have two frantic calls in a day.

“Puta…” She sighed, stressing the first syllable. Earning a questioning look from Bruce which she ignored.

She thought of not answering. She could afford to. But banished the thought. Doing so would just make the insufferable. The woman had a lot of connections. She stared at the caller ID letting it ring twice before answering.

_Lauren Virginia Grimms, what the fuck man? I had to find out from Greez?!_

“I texted.”

_What?_ There was a pause and something that sounded vaguely like a gunshot could be heard from the background.

‘Is she seriously calling me in the middle of something?’

_Doesn’t matter, Greez just told me. Anyway, listen, I know a guy. Just give me the word._

“No, and don’t you go behind my back either. I’ll _know_.”

_Whatever. I also know a guy, if you need a place._

“I’m good. A friend offered their place. I just need a job.”

_Alright, I’ll put out some feelers for you._

She heard something loud echo through. An explosion? ‘Gods, I hope not.’

_We’ll talk more later, gotta run. And you must_ _tell me about this **friend** of yours that’s letting you crash at their place._

She could practically see the grin that came with the less than innocent implication.

“Sure, if you tell me what kind of troublesome thing you’ve got yourself into, _again_.” She pushed back.

_Guh, fine._ She just knew there was an eye-roll. _You sound just like **him**. I’ll call you. Bye._

And just like that, it ended. Her friends were whirlwinds. She shook her head in disbelief but smiled fondly. She looked up and found her two roommates back. One, in particular, had a look on his face that meant she was about to be teased.

“So, Virginia huh?” James teased with a smug look on his face.

“Yes, Mister _Buchanan_.” She replied almost maliciously. “Named after my paternal grandma. Much better than yours in my opinion.”

James snorted, “Buchanan is better than Grant though. Much more unique.”

“Hey!” Steve protested.

“Wait seriously?” She looked to Steve, disbelieving. “I pegged you more as a Christian. Steve Christian Rogers.”

Steve smiled, it did sound like a good name. He pouted when his best friend decided to tell Lauren his full name.

“Steven Grant Rogers, actually,” James told her with a smirk.

“Steven.” She shook her head, amused. It sounded so old-school. Well, he _was_ from the 40s. “I don’t suppose that you could top that doc?” She pointed the question to Bruce, bringing him into the conversation.

“Bruce is my middle name, actually.” Cue incredulous looks. “Robert Bruce Banner.”

“Yeah, Bob wouldn’t suit you,” Lauren replied her nose scrunching up in distaste. “You don’t look like a ‘Bob’, or ‘Bobby’ either.”

“And you, don’t look like a Grant.” She added looking at Steve.

“And you don’t look like a ‘Virgie’, or a ‘Vivi’.” returned James, who was followed by the other two men.

“Or a ‘Ginny’.”

“Or a ‘Nia’.”

“But I do look like a Bucky.” James finished with a smile that would’ve broken his face if it was any wider.

She gave the men an exaggerated sigh. She wanted to glare at them for their cheekiness but couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped her.

Her laughter was echoed by the three men.

A few more laughs and jokes about everyone’s lesser-used names later. They all settled down around the counter, smiles all around.

“So, who was that? The one who called I mean, if you don’t mind.” Steve inquired, his eyes still shining with mirth.

“ _That_ , Captain, was a friend from high school. If you found that entertaining, you would’ve been tickled silly with the call earlier. Couldn’t get even one word in.” Lauren answered as she restarted cooking breakfast.

‘I pray to any god out there that they didn’t hear whatever it was in the background.’

“They sound like fun,” James noted. “And you seem to close for high school friends.”

“Oh, we are. Close enough to agree to have tattoos together.” She replied as she pulled the right sleeve of her shirt up.

It exposed an odd-looking flower. Odd because you couldn’t exactly tell what kind it was. It looked like a mix of poinsettia and cherry blossom. It was surrounded by branches that wisped out from the edge of the flower. The branches that circled the flower were stylized to look like deer antlers, which Lauren would fervently deny.

“Your best friends then?” Bruce concluded after she replaced her sleeve.

“Yeah pretty much. Don’t tell them that though. Join us for breakfast doc? We have extra.” She replied. The tone of her offer indicated that she wasn’t going to accept anything but yes.

And just like that, the group of four settled into the kitchen. The three men keeping a conversation going that would let Lauren chime in. She offered some fruit to start and kept the food coming as they talked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lauren's background is starting to trickle in. Iris and Greez aren't entirely mine. They belong to my friends. They might appear in my friend's fic soon, not entirely sure yet.


	6. Chapter 6

It was the evening after Lauren’s eventful meeting Bruce Banner. Said meeting was due to totally unintentional reasons. It wasn’t her fault that remembering her two best friends distracted her enough from preparing breakfast that she cut herself. Yes. It totally wasn’t her fault at all.

She already finished preparing dinner and was waiting for company before she started to eat. Truth be told, despite spending most of her day in the kitchen and working out with Natasha, she was still feeling restless. Maybe she needed to go out? It has been a week since she’s felt the sun on her skin after all.

She should probably take up Steve’s offer to go running in the morning. Just to get out. She wasn’t going to try and keep up with him or Sam. She knew that Sam was Steve’s running buddy. So she wondered why he never went with Steve to the café before.

She shrugged the thought off. She’ll likely meet Sam the next day.

Later, dinner was livelier than expected. Natasha, Clint, and Bruce decided to join them. Clint and Natasha were entertained with a recount of what happened that morning. The group once again descending into playful banter of each other’s lesser-known names.

“Natalia oddly suits you. I’m not even gonna try to say that second name of yours.” Lauren chimed in after Clint and Natasha shared theirs.

“Alianovna.” James drawled with a Russian accent that oddly suited him.

“I’d never have thought that you’d be a ‘Virginia’ though.” Clint countered with a teasing grin.

“It’s not a bad name. Though the way they say it back home makes it worse.” Lauren replied absently. “Lauren ‘Ber-HIN -ya’ Grimms. It sounds so out of place when they – the older generation– say it..”

“Where is home anyway?” Clint asked. The expectant stares around told her they all wanted to ask the same thing.

Lauren didn’t answer. She wasn’t against them finding out. She wasn’t ashamed of her home country. It was just more fun to let people wonder. Even back home most would mistake her for some other nationality.

Natasha’s eyebrows scrunched up as she tried to put a pin on the accent. “That sounds… Spanish? Or Portuguese?”

“She looks more Middle-Eastern than Spanish though,” Clint added in.

“Maybe a former Spanish colony?” Bruce suggested. He looked like he was half-way through finishing a new puzzle.

“Bruce! You just made it too easy.” Lauren whined playfully.

“You don’t talk like any of the former colonies on this side of the world though. So… Asia?” Clint wondered.

“Philippines?” Natasha tried.

“Ding-ding-ding! Give the lady a prize!” Lauren rang, amused.

“It still doesn’t explain how you ended up with a German family name like ‘Grimms’ though.” Clint griped, his eyebrows knitted in frustration when Lauren just shrugged.

“I honestly have no idea. No one in my paternal family has a hint of European blood except for maybe the height. But I guess you can just sum it up to the intricacies of the modern Filipino ancestry.” Lauren tried though it did nothing to satisfy Clint’s curiosity.

The group settled into an odd silence. It wasn’t an uncomfortable one, nor was it comfortable – therefore, odd. Bruce and Natasha had a look of mixed concern and pity. She was very far from home after all. The others, however, were still puzzling over how she ended up with such a family name. She was tempted to call them racist. In teasing of course, she didn’t really care. But she’d be a hypocrite if she did. She herself wondered how her ancestors had ended up in the Philippines. She was, nonetheless, amused by their reactions.

Steve, however, was set on something else. He already knew of her origins. But something else bothered him. “You never actually told me why you’re on this side of the world.”

Lauren sighed inwardly. The quick answer was easy. She already gave him the quick answer the first time he asked. Which was 'work and study'. But she knew that it wasn’t what he was asking for. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to tell him just yet. Maybe if she was drunk. But she wasn’t at the moment. She just gave him a smile that told him that it wasn’t the time. She hoped that he understood.

She looked to the others, hoping that they didn’t catch on. Thankfully, they were already engaged in their own conversations to have noticed Steve’s question.

They all settled down into their drinks. Lauren wishing she chose something stronger. The events of the day were catching up to her.

Later, she pondered on answering Steve’s question as they made their way to their floor. She decided that she’d rather not. At least not without alcohol. She’ll put it off until Steve asks her again. ~~Her openness to such things is very much dependent on alcohol.~~

They part ways after she tells Steve she’ll join their run in the morning. She slept fitfully that night. Her mind plagued with memories of the past and regrets.

* * *

She woke up feeling like she hadn’t slept at all. Knowing she wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep, she stared at her ceiling. She’d rather lay in her bed all day. But she already told Steve she’d be going with him. And so, with a heavy sigh she got up and got ready.

She found Steve and James waiting for her in the kitchen. She tried her best to not look like she hadn’t slept well. If they noticed they didn’t say. Though Steve sent a glance her way once in a while as they walked.

She chose not to acknowledge it. She was content to let the sun’s heat seep into her skin. Only then did she realize how good it felt to be outside.

She wasn’t exactly the outdoorsy type. She can appreciate going on a hike or a run in the park. But she doesn’t go out of her way to do so.

America certainly had its share of hiking trails and parks. But in last 3 years she was here for university, she never went to any of them. She spent most of her university years going to school and back to her apartment. She wasn’t a goody-two-shoes. Her last few months in university attested to that. But that’s a story for a later date.

They arrived at central park. Steve was already running to catch up with Sam. James decided to just walk around. They agreed to meet in the same spot after an hour.

Lauren decided to take her time. Briskly walking most of the time rather than run or jog. Endurance running wasn’t her thing. She’d rather sprint than torture herself for an hour.

She absently followed the path. Her thoughts strayed to her best friends. They still haven’t contacted her again, after their calls. But that wasn’t surprising, they were all busy trying to be adults. Well, as adult as one could be. The kind of things her two best friends were involved in didn’t really need one to be a proper adult. They were a bunch of troublemakers. Really. She spent most of her time in high school managing the trouble they got into. Yes, she was part of the troublemaking herself. It involved a lot of adrenaline after all, which she loved. She’ll probably try to get back into it, discreetly if she got the chance.

She shook herself out of her thoughts. It wouldn’t do to reminisce. She’ll tell her new friends of her past eventually.

It took her a moment to register where she was.

She had strayed from the runner’s path and was now somewhat lost. There were still a few people wandering around. So she wasn’t in any danger. But she wasn’t sure how far she was from their assigned meeting place. She still had time to find her way, thankfully.

She found their meeting spot thanks to the wonders of the internet. It was just about the time they agreed to meet, but she didn’t see any of the two super-soldiers around. So she decided to wait under a nearby tree. The weather was great – sunny but not blindingly so, with just enough clouds scattered about in the sky.

She didn’t realize when her eyes had closed. But next thing she knew, she had to open them when she heard someone breathing hard close to her.

She found a dark-skinned man with close-cropped hair, hunched over trying to catch his breath. She wasn’t sure why she did, but she called out to him – asked if he was okay. She offered one of the water bottles she thought to buy on her way back.

The man finished the water bottle before he answered.

“Thanks. Word of advice, don’t push yourself to keep up with someone who isn’t entirely human.”

Her eyebrow rose. She knew what – who – he was referring to. She didn’t expect the casual way he said it. Like being friends with a superhero was a common thing. Or maybe it was the way he just offhandedly said it to a stranger.

“You must be Sam.” She realized. He was still trying to catch his breath. She took the opportunity to observe him.

He wasn’t officially part of the Avengers. A freelancer of sorts. Former military probably. But he held himself in a sort of resigned way. Casual but alert, if that made sense.

“Sam Wilson, at your service.” He offered a handshake which she took firmly. Handshakes can make an impression after all. “You must be Lauren, Cap sent me to get you. They’re at this new place we found.”

Lauren was oddly at ease with Sam. It surprised her that she was the one to start their conversation. They already talked about how she ended up staying with Steve and James. To which Sam said: “Your boss was an asshole.” She’s learned to expect it after Bruce.

“So why are you all the way here in America?” Sam asked. She opened her mouth to give her usual answer. But the words that came out were different.

“To get away from my family. I love and care for them and all. But they can be a bit… much.”

It wasn’t something she’d admit to someone she just met. Unless she was _very_ drunk – which she wasn’t. She hasn’t even eaten yet! But it was okay. She didn’t know why she was so willing to talk with Sam. But she just rolled with it.

Sam nodded in understanding. But didn’t ask further, which she was thankful for. It was a can of worms she’d rather leave unopened.

“I’m guessing you’re the youngest then? The youngest always gets what they want.” He guessed teasingly. To which Lauren gasped, and gave him an incredulous look. Complete with a hand covering her mouth.

“You take that back! I am in no way _spoiled_. I work for what I want. Thank you very much.” She scoffed. She tried to look resentful but couldn’t fight the laugh that bubbled up.

Lauren couldn’t help but feel amazed by how easy it was to talk to Sam. She wasn’t the type to tell people about her life. Hell, she only opened up to Iris and Greez about her family after 2 years of friendship. It also required underage drinking. She tended to be a closed-off person if you couldn’t tell.

“If you aren’t a full-time Avenger, what do you do?” She wondered. She never asked Steve about his teammates. She wasn’t the type to ask people about other people. She preferred to get to know them herself.

She knew about Sam and James. Steve would often mention Sam and James during their conversations at the café. Mostly because he’d be buying food for the latter and just came from the company of the former.

“I volunteer at the VA. Helping soldiers with their PTSD.”

“So a counselor, sort of?”

Well, that explained a lot. He was used to putting people at ease, and helping them.

“Yeah, sort of.” He paused. As if to debate something. “If you need someone to talk to…”

He didn’t need to finish for her to know what he was trying to say. It put her on guard. She was sure she hasn’t mentioned anything of note. Maybe he was just being nice? Maybe… Hopefully…

Knowing someone had read something off of her, made her uncomfortable. She always thought that she kept her emotions in well. But if someone she just met was able to see she was trying to hide something…

She could feel her entire being wind up. Her shoulders tight and drawn back. Trying to make herself look bigger, more confident. It made the air between her and Sam tense.

_Hide. Hide. Hide._

She felt her paranoia rise slowly. The beginnings of panic simmering.

“Took you guys long enough!” Steve called out to them. His voice breaking her panic.

If he noticed the tension between her and Sam, he made no indication of it.

And as if she wasn’t about to turn tail, she gave them a smile and followed them in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took advantage of Sam's volunteering at the VA. If this seems a bit OOC for him sorry, but this is how it worked out in my head. I didn't want him to fall into the stereotype he seems to fall into in the fics I've read of him. So... I tried? 
> 
> This chapter was like a chick hatching. It took me a while to write it. Also, I tried my best to put in more description/narration than dialogue. 
> 
> Anyway! More background on Lauren in this! Does anyone want to take a guess to what kind of shenanigans Lauren and her friends got into when they were younger? :D Comment away! Until the next one!
> 
> Stay safe everyone!


	7. Chapter 7

Lauren found herself lost. And not in a directional sort of way. She was fully aware of where she was and the things around her. However, after she almost made a fool of herself by overreacting to Sam’s offer, she was lost.

It wasn’t everyday that someone offered her their ear. It wasn’t everyday that someone she just met offered their ear.

What’s worse was that she panicked over it. What does he think of her now? Or maybe… maybe he didn’t notice how panicked she was. Steve called out to them before she could do anything embarrassing.

She really hoped that they didn’t notice. They weren’t acting any differently. So they probably didn’t. She was being overly paranoid.

She decided, then, to act like nothing happened. Go with the flow, as she always would. It didn’t matter that for a moment, she felt bare. Like someone had stripped her of everything, and she was left with nothing.

It was only a moment. But it shook her. Scared her. Blinded her.

And then it was gone. It didn’t matter. Because she could not afford to dwell on it.

And so, she went on. Interacted with the people around her. Ignored the vulnerability she felt just minutes before.

It showed a lot of who she was as a person. She preferred it when people trusted her. But she was stingy in giving her trust. People would call her a hypocrite. Probably.

Oh, she trusted people with things, tasks, and whatnot. But not her secrets. She saw herself more of a secret keeper. Her excuse was that as someone who kept others’ secrets. It was best if her secrets were hidden as well. So her secrets couldn’t be used against her and those who trusted her.

It was merely an excuse. She knew that. It was something she had to unlearn. It was a lonely way to live. She was lucky to have friends that weren’t too pushy about sharing.

She was so immersed in her thoughts that she didn’t notice that they were already back at the Tower. Sam decided to join them in the Tower for the day. She vaguely recalled inviting him for dinner over breakfast. Something along the lines of: “What’s one more when I cooked enough for a small platoon?”

‘Yes, brilliant idea! Invite the person who unintentionally made you uncomfortable to eat your home cooking. Good job. Not that spending more time with the guy will add more opportunities for him to make you talk. No, not at all.’ She chided herself. Her auto-pilot-self hated her. She might as well tell her best friends that she was staying with the Avengers. You know, while she was already self-sabotaging herself.

It was already nearing mid-day and they just finished breakfast, or brunch since they took so long. They’ll probably have an early dinner instead. And after running her plans of skipping lunch today with her roommates and the possibility of having take-out for dinner. Lauren went into her room and tried to reclaim the sleep she missed out on.

* * *

A few hours later, Lauren found herself in the kitchen. She still was not feeling up to making a full dinner. But her restlessness forced her into the kitchen once more. Where she may or may not have helped herself to a glass of cognac. It was already open so she wasn’t feeling too bad about it.

To burn off her restlessness she decided to make some pita bread, hummus, and salsa. A snack for the most part but if you ate enough of it it’ll pass for a meal. So she decided to add in some kofta to go with it. Really she just wanted to make a bunch of pita bread.

As she worked, she continued to help herself to the bottle of alcohol. She wasn’t really sure how many times she refilled her glass but she stopped putting the bottle back after the 3rd time.

“And I thought I had bad drinking habits.”

The statement, not to mention the voice, almost had her choking. Thankfully she was drinking water and not the alcohol she was nursing just moments ago.

Tony Stark was the most visible member of the team. So she was quite familiar with his voice and appearance. It also helped that she was an intern for his company just over two years ago.

Lauren made it a point to reserve judgment of celebrities until she interacted with them. Tony was a perfect example of why you shouldn’t base their opinion on what they see on TV. If you did you’d expect him to be a snob, arrogant beyond measure, and to treat you like you were less than dirt. As would be expected of someone who was filthy rich and famous. Not to mention with the reputation he had pre-Avengers.

The man before her had that presence. He was definitely a genius, playboy, philanthropist, and billionaire. His confidence showed that he knew exactly what and who he was.

His eyes showed a different story though. It reminded her of the military people her parents all but adopted back in high school. Especially those who were assigned to high-risk areas. Like they’ve seen enough of the world and were tired.

“You okay there?”

She had the decency to blush. She’d been staring.

“Yeah, sorry about that. Uhm, do you…?” She answered after downing the last of her drink. It was only right that she offered him a drink. He paid for it after all. “I hope you don’t mind that I helped myself to some of your stash.”

“Oh, don’t hold yourself back on my account. You must be Capsicle’s friend. Lauren was it?”

“Tony I need you to sign…”

A woman with strawberry-blonde hair entered holding a clipboard and a tablet. Said woman was another person Lauren was quite familiar with. She worked under her during her internship, but not directly. Virginia “Pepper” Potts.

“Lauren, is that you? What’re you doing here?!”

She did _not_ expect that she’d be remembered by the CEO. She interacted with her a few times during her internship but those were few and far between. She was thankful for the interruption though.

“Wait, hold up a sec. Pep you know her?” Tony asked incredulously. “How come you know her and I don’t?”

“Of course I do. She was our intern about two years ago. We offered her a permanent position, which still stands by the way.” Pepper answered. Her last statement made Lauren’s eyes widen in disbelief.

She remembered the offer. She just didn’t think they’d still want her. It’s been two years after all.

“So let me get this straight. Lauren the intern and Lauren the baker is one person?” Pepper nodded. “Well then, you’re hired.”

Lauren just stood there slack-jawed. If what happened that morning was a whirlwind, this was a lightning storm. Or maybe it was the other way around. Point is – shit was happening before she could even comprehend what was happening.

“Do you have a bank account? Never mind, Jarvis! Make sure that Lauren here is all set up and settled into the company. The whole shebang. Give her a floor. Nat said you lift. You want a personal gym? Of course you do. I’ll let you and Jarvis work out the gym. Also…”

Lauren couldn’t really reply. Because she was in shock, but also because he kept prattling on. And proceeded to leave. That saved her from forcing her mind to think of a reply.

She was left with Pepper. Who could only welcome her back to the company. It wasn’t how she expected to be officially welcomed by the Tower’s owner, but she wasn’t complaining.

Before Pepper went back to her work. She left a few words for Lauren.

“We really liked your work as an intern. So whatever arrangement Tony has set up with you – I hope we’ll be able to work together next time.”

And wasn’t that something. The duo seemed set on keeping her speechless. Not to mention they just threw out all the worries she had for the past week.

She was now officially a resident of the Avengers’ Tower and employed. (The nature of her employment was an unknown but she didn’t really care at the moment.) All that happened in a matter of 5 minutes. Less even.

She definitely mixed it up. _Tony_ was a whirlwind. Pepper was the debris that caught up in it. It made for a very frightening force of nature. At the same time together they made for a mesmerizing image. They were called a power couple for a reason.

She continued working on the dough in a daze. Bottle of alcohol almost forgotten. She had poured herself another glass but had yet to drink it.

Her inattention turned the last batch of dough into a wide circle that leaned more into pizza territory. So she went off and completed that. They were having pizza now too.

“That smells good.”

She really needed to pay more attention to her surroundings. Thankfully, her surprise didn’t ruin the pizza she was about to put into the oven.

“Steve and Bucky are on their way back.”

They were earlier than expected. It wasn’t a bad thing though. The pizza wouldn’t take long and it was best to eat it fresh out of the oven. Mouth burning heat be damned.

She put the pizza in. The oven was pre-heated to its highest temperature to mimic the heat of a brick oven. Pizza can be a finicky thing to cook. She wanted browning but not burnt dough. Also you also just want the cheese to melt and not burnt. So she was watching it cook very intently. Definitely not because she was avoiding conversation. No. Definitely not.

She was not embarrassed nor scared of whatever impression she had made on the man earlier. She just wanted to make sure the pizza was cooked properly.

Which would cook in less than 5 minutes. Which meant that conversation was unavoidable.

“Steve would always brag about your food you know. Honestly, I was a bit disappointed when they said they’ll be getting take out today.”

Yup. Definitely unavoidable. She turned to face Sam. She didn’t want to be rude after all.

“Well, luckily I got restless and ended up making something anyway. I’m not sure if there’ll be enough for everyone though. The last batch turned into pizza.”

He grinned and shrugged. Which she took to mean as ‘I ain’t complaining bout that’. It was odd that she directly translated it to how he’d say it. The mind was weird that way.

“I gotta ask though…”

He started. And it took all of Lauren’s willpower to not hightail it out of the kitchen. Not that she would. The pizza would burn. Which she should check right about now. She turned around to check after telling him to continue.

“I know about the sack of flour thing. But there’s gotta be something else?”

He didn’t elaborate but she got what he was trying to say. So after getting the pizza out since it was ready she answered.

“You mean that you’re curious how a civilian like me could make friends with Captain America?” She elaborated for him. He nodded but didn’t say anything. Which meant that he wanted her to answer. She didn’t have to. But it would be odd for her not to. It wasn’t a big secret anyway. And Tony will probably find out soon enough if Steve’s stories were accurate.

“I’m not exactly a normal civilian. Ugh, that makes me sound so shady.” She mumbled the last part, mentally chiding herself. He seemed to have heard if his questioning look was an indicator. So she continued. “I have sibling figures in the military. My family would spend most of our summers near one of the military training camps. Mostly graduating cadets from the academy. I’d join in their training from time to time. So we’d bond over that. Most of them keep in touch with us. He reminded me of them. So yeah…”

“You sure it wasn’t his old man charm?” He teased. Apparently satisfied with her answer.

She was thankful that he didn’t ask more. So she just rolled her eyes and let out a snicker. She really was just overthinking things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried writing this while drinking. It didn't work out too well. So I had to write it over the course of three-ish days. Thanks to my friend arsenouselation for helping with Sam!


	8. Chapter 8

It was the evening after Lauren’s encounter with Sam and the Starks. (Because really, Pepper was a Stark despite the lack of ring and last name.) She wasn’t entirely sure how she went about the day. Just thankful that she didn’t have another kitchen mishap.

Her inattention throughout the day was biting her in the ass. She couldn’t sleep no matter what she did. Background noise, that was supposed to lull her to sleep only distracted her from her thoughts. She’d already counted 1000 sheep. Even resorted to trying some assisted meditation – that only filled her mind with more thoughts.

So she gave up on sleep. She probably had more luck drinking herself to sleep. To let alcohol muddle her thoughts enough to silence her to sleep. Tony seemed to not have any qualms with sharing anyway. Though she was wary of trying any of the more expensive bottles. Bailey’s was always a good choice anyway. Maybe some gin and tonic later if it got too sweet on her mouth.

She made her way to the communal and poured herself a generous glass. She forced herself to sip on the drink and enjoy it, rather than drinking half of it in one go. There was a reason she preferred drinking at home. She’d have drunk-off her emergency money if she drank out in bars. Frikkin robbers. She would never pay for a shot that was worth a bottle of booze. Not the kind Tony Stark stored, but a whole bottle nonetheless.

She perched herself on a window seat after she carried one of the side tables closer. She was content to look out the window. But her mind wandered, contemplating if she should get in touch with Iris or Greez. She was employed now after all. Iris could stop sending out feelers for her. Though she wasn’t even sure what she was employed as. It wasn’t something midnight-Lauren was concerned about at the moment. Tomorrow-Lauren would find out. Still, she better tell them that she found a job else they do something drastic – as Iris tended to be when it came to her and Greez. She was why they got into the shit they were in when they were younger. She tended to be... over-enthusiastic… in fulfilling their requests.

As she composed her text of good news to her two friends. She vaguely noticed that she had company. But she was more focused on retelling the events of the previous day to her friends. So she was startled when someone called out to her.

“I was wondering why your door was open,” Steve called out. Thinking she saw him come in.

She choked on her drink, the alcohol hooked into her throat. It left an undesirable burning sensation that triggered her gag reflex. She wanted to reply but was still fighting to get her throat to cooperate. Steve, ever the boy scout, went off to get her some water. She gratefully accepted the glass of water and sipped on it.

“Sorry…”

She waved his apology off. She saw him come in but her mind didn’t catch up to his presence. She was too focused. She should drink more. The goal was to stop thinking so she can sleep, not to get her mind more active.

She set her feet down to give Steve space to sit. He took the vacated space and sat down, not saying anything. He looked deep in thought. She let him be. They had the whole night to talk if he wanted to.

There was a minute of comfortable silence. Despite her worry the previous day, she wasn’t worried about questions. There was something about the man next to her that was comforting.

“Couldn’t sleep either?” She started. The silence was fine. But it’s been a while since she had a proper conversation with her friend. She wouldn’t be surprised if he noticed her odd behavior these past two days. She dutifully ignored his worried glances the day she met Sam after all. She was also concerned about him. He looked pale. If he was sick it must be something serious to affect him despite the serum.

“It’s been years… but there are nights when…”

The rest could be a number of things. Steve never talked about his past before the Avengers. But there was enough literature on it for her to have an idea. Not to mention what happened with James. Her stomach sank when the thought of him being aware while he was frozen crossed her mind. She imagined it being close to sleep paralysis, which was terrifying. It all boiled down to one thing that was causing his wakefulness at this ungodly hour.

Nightmares.

She rarely had them herself. There were a few that could be considered nightmares by some. But she found them akin to the few thriller movies she’s watched. None of the disturbing dreams she’s had has come close to the horror she vividly remembered that one time when she was 6 or 7. Fucking Imhotep. She was thankful it’s never happened again. But the horror and the images of that single vivid nightmare has stayed with her all these years so she can sympathize. She would never claim to know the hurt and horror of serving in war is. But she will always be ready to offer comfort or reprieve from it.

She fell into a habit she got into with her foster siblings. If she wanted to be poetic about it, she’d call it her little spark. She hoped that her actions and care would be enough to not let them wallow in dark thoughts. She told Sam that Steve reminded her of them. And he did, so she’ll offer him the same thing – with a drink.

“Want some Bailey’s?”

The memory of that particular meme pulled at her lips. Steve’s eyebrow raised in question. The silent ‘I don't understand that reference’ tempted her to show him. But she didn’t really want to traumatize the guy. ~~Not yet at least.~~ So she just went and poured him a glass and grabbed some munchies. They were in for a long night.

“What about you?” Steve asked after a few minutes of drinking and munching.

“My mind hates me.”

She knew that she had to elaborate. But she wasn’t sure how much of it she should or could tell. She knew she owed him an answer. It’s been two days since he’s asked. She felt guilty for letting him wait. He was probably feeling guilty as well for asking. She’s been noticeably out of it since.

He didn’t ask though. But she owed him. And he was too damned nice to push. Thankfully more alcohol would help.

So she forwent her initial restraint and downed the rest of her glass. Pouring herself another and drinking half of it in one go. She didn’t have to look at Steve to know he was looking on in disbelief - or it was probably concern. He’s heard some of her drunk stories. So the latter would be more accurate.

“You asked me something two days ago. This is me preparing my answer.”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to Lauren.”

She took one last sip before answering.

“I’m not exactly an open person Steve. It’s wrong but I need some liquid courage to help loosen up a bit. I’m completely aware of what I’m doing. I want to tell you, but I need this first.”

She could feel his disapproval of her actions but didn’t let it stop her. He didn’t make a move to stop her either. It told her how much he wanted to know. With a sigh, she started to answer the two-day-old question.

“I don’t know if Sam told you. I also don’t recall telling you exactly. But I don’t exactly get along with my parents…” She took another sip, giving him an opportunity to ask or state his observation. When he kept silent she continued. “It isn’t that we’re on bad terms with each other. It’s just… uncomfortable? We aren’t close. To be honest, I don’t trust my parents. And I think that’s carried over to how I make friends. So my friendship with you is really a leap of faith. I’m glad for it though.”

She gave him a moment to let her words sink in. Tempted to take another swig of her drink. She chose to munch on the leftover potato wedges. Absently wishing they had a charcoal grill or smoker. But that thought quickly left her.

“But why here in the US and not somewhere closer?”

“I find that the farther away I am from them the better our relationship. At least I think it is. I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned it before, but I chose to separate myself from my family way back when I was 12. At the time, it was mostly due to puberty and rebellion. But when I look back on it now, I think I’ve always known that I never quite fit in with my family. I love them, but they just make me uncomfortable. My mom happened upon an exchange program of sorts with Japan. She knew that I was enamored with the culture I saw in their animated TV shows. So I took the opportunity. I kept applying to new programs so I could continue my education there. It helped that I performed well, so the sponsor was more than happy to accommodate me. I ended up graduating senior high there.”

“You never went back home while you were there?”

“We’d meet every summer. I’d go home for a week or two. We were somewhat well off, because of my mom’s work. But they were always busy. We’d go on vacation for a few days sometimes. Often we’d visit some of my mom’s foster sons and daughters’ homes. Most of the two weeks I’d be home was spent near a training camp. They’d let me try out the obstacle courses throughout our stay. Even put me through some drills. I went through them with my foster siblings when they were free. I stayed for a full course of training after graduating from high school. I’m not sure if my foster brother was pulling my leg or not but I think I’m recognized as a reserve officer.”

“I went off-topic there. But anyway, point is. Going home in between school years wasn’t exactly spent catching up. My family and I don't really have heart-to-heart talks. They know who my friends are and what I enjoy. But I think they believe that my likes and dislikes from elementary are still the same. So yeah, not close.”

She took a swig of her drink. She was close to spilling everything. Well, everything that concerned Steve’s question anyway and possibly more if he kept letting her talk.

“You said your parents were always busy? Didn’t they ever make time for you or your siblings? How many blood-siblings do you have anyway?” At this point, Steve grabbed another bottle from the kitchen and poured their drinks. Keeping the bottle at his side. He was clearly unhappy with how fast Lauren was drinking and was going to limit her consumption.

“I have two older siblings, the eldest is a man-child and the middle child, a girl, was an overachiever. They got better when they got older though. I think my brother was the way he was because my parents let him get away with a lot. And my sister practically lived for my parent’s praise since they were away a lot.” She paused. She sipped on her glass this time. She suspected that Steve would refuse to give her more if she kept on drinking as fast as she was.

“We weren’t spoiled though. Our nanny made sure that we knew how to do housework. Though with me being the youngest, I’d often get strapped with some of my sibling’s chores when they were ‘too busy with school work’. So out of us three I was the most independent. We all were really in one way or another. We had generous allowances and rarely asked our parent’s help with paying stuff for school. But then those were few and far in between. Or at least that was how it was for me. I’m not really sure how it was for my siblings.”

“Are you saying you came here using the savings from your allowance?”

“I wanted to. But mom wouldn’t let me. Said they were more than capable of paying for the entirety of my education. They’d even pay for a 2nd course, or a Ph.D. if I wanted to do so. Honestly, as long as they could see it as something good, they’d be more than willing to pay for whatever we needed. I think it was their way of making up for their absence in our lives. I really would have preferred if we weren’t well off and had to struggle a bit more. If it meant that I could have a better relationship with them. I really admire the relationship most people here have with their parents. At least those I’ve met.”

She finished her glass after her spiel. She wasn’t sure how many glasses she's had at this point. She already had three generous glasses before starting her word vomit. She tipped her glass towards Steve for a refill. She pouted when he only poured her half of what she’d pour herself. She wasn’t about to fight the super-soldier for more though. It just meant that she’d have to ask for more refills than usual. She’ll still end up drinking till morning if she had her way. She could grab a different bottle if she really wanted to drink more. But she was nestled in her spot quite nicely at the moment. And it would be annoying if she couldn’t settle in the same way she was currently. So she let him be.

“What surprised and concerned me was that I never felt homesick while I was away from my family. Leaving Japan and leaving here made me homesick. It’s kind of messed up. I love my family and all. But I never really missed their company. Being with them stressed me out. I was more at home in the hideout Iris, Greez, and I sequestered for ourselves.”

She was already spilling stuff that didn’t concern his question. Maybe she should stop drinking? Nah… This was Steve _fucking_ Rogers. Who offered her a place to stay when she needed it. Who offered comfort when even she didn’t know she needed it. He deserved to know. He was the epitome of kindness and heart. Okay, maybe that last thing was the alcohol talking but still. Steve has more than earned the trust he was asking of her.

“I’ve suspected it, but I’m pretty sure your friendship with those two is the same kind that Bucky and I have. You probably even got into a lot of trouble with those two when you were younger.”

She snorted, a smile she wasn’t willing to fight off graced her lips. “If we went with that analogy I’d be James and those two would be you. Well, Greez was more of a mix but leaned more towards your attitude. Couldn’t be bothered to filter her words to save her life. Especially when it came to things she built.”  
  


She noted that he noticed her little slip. He wouldn’t mention his troublesome tendencies if he didn’t think that she was the same. It made telling Iris and Greez about her current arrangement in the Tower a _tiny_ bit more urgent. She’ll get to it soon enough.

“Build?”

The fondness in Lauren’s tone and eyes increased ten-fold. Her eyes almost glazed with reminiscence. “Cars. She was always handy with a wrench. Hence, Greez.”

“I always did wonder if that was her given name or nickname. Which reminds me, why do you call Bucky, ‘James’?”

“Personal choice? I’m not exactly close enough to be calling him Bucky.”

Steve’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Everyone else calls him Bucky though.”

“I know it’s just… weird for me you know? I kind of feel like I’d be intruding. Like calling my favorite actor their nickname to their face. I guess, if he’d been there when you were telling me about him I’d be fine with it. But since all I know about him is mostly second hand, I think I’d rather he tell me outright that he wants me to call him ‘Bucky’. He hasn’t said anything so far so I’m sticking with James.”

Steve couldn’t really argue so he just nodded. Both of them decided to let the silence hang for a bit more. Steve seemed to still be processing everything. While Lauren was content to enjoy her buzz and the silence in her mind that came with it. It only meant that her lips would become looser as their conversation continued. She was thankful for the hour it was. It wasn’t likely that anybody would come in and hear her spewing about her past. She only wanted Steve to hear it. For now.

“So… cars…?”

She wasn’t drunk enough to forget that _this_ was something she definitely didn’t want anyone knowing at the moment. She didn’t really want to lie to him though. So vague was the way to go. She decided to just nod and let him ask more to have a better idea of how to respond. Her face showed her contemplation. Steve, thankfully, interpreted it as her not understanding what he wanted to ask.

“You said that you were Bucky in the analogy. Did you guys get into a lot of trouble too?”

At least he didn’t specify street fights which he’d already told her about before. She was never involved in that kind of trouble. ~~Not directly at least.~~

“Not the same kind of trouble you got yourself into. We never got into direct confrontations. Ours was more… speed.” She realized that her wording may have been interpreted as something else so she quickly clarified. “Racing. We raced cars. Greez would build them, then Iris, or I would drive.”

“Like NASCAR?”

They were so absorbed in their conversation that they didn’t notice another person enter the communal.

“What’s this I hear about cars and racing? Do share, I’m a bit of an adrenaline junkie myself.”

The new voice made Lauren tense up. She did not expect their little drinking session to be interrupted by Tony Stark of all people. She was glad that he interrupted before she could respond. She was buzzed enough to tell Steve _everything_. It’ll have to wait. She doubted she could get this drunk again soon though.

Tony seemed more guarded than when she first met him though. Did she miss something? She knew that Tony’s dad… Oh… OH! _Tony’s dad_. _James._

Now wasn’t this awkward.

“Mr. Stark! I was going to ask you tomorrow, well later now. But we weren’t really able to talk about my employment last time…”

There was a heavy pause that lasted for a few seconds. But it felt like it went on for an awkward few minutes before he replied.

“Call me Tony. So since Capsicle and Legolas praise your food so much. You’re a cook. But Pep wants to work with you so how about we…”

‘I still got it…’ Lauren thought not really hearing what Tony was saying. She registered food, cook, and Pepper before her mind blanked out and her eyes refused to stay open. It seemed like the alcohol finally caught up. Maybe because she stopped vomiting words. She really wanted to talk to Mr. Stark about her employment though. It was important. She’ll rest her eyes for a few more seconds and…

Unknown to her the two Avengers shared a look. It was tense and full of unspoken words, hurt, and regret. But because of the tiny human that was the cause of the encounter. There was a smidge of hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brownie points for those who recognize the meme! :D
> 
> Lauren’s been shown to depend on alcohol a lot in these past few chapters. I myself enjoy drinking from time to time but I do not encourage heavy drinking and alcohol dependency. Please drink responsibly.
> 
> So yes, the big fight between Tony, Steve, and Bucky still happened. And for the sake of this fic, Steve’s keeping of Bucky’s involvement with the elder Stark’s murder from Tony is what caused the rift between the Avengers. The Accords just adding to it. Anyway, I won’t elaborate on that since it isn’t vital to the story. What’s important is that the team can get along well enough to live in the Tower together. But it’s awkward. If you didn’t get that from the first few chapters I’m sorry. But at least now you know.


	9. Chapter 9

The first thing Lauren noticed was that she was not in the communal living room. And she felt very dry. She knew she had quite a bit of alcohol the previous night and she…

‘Fuck.’

She scrambled to find her phone. Which she found on her bedside table which was odd. That was not where she would put it normally. She brushed off its oddness and noting a message from Steve. She delayed opening it in favor of checking if she was able to send her alcohol prompted message. She knew she wasn’t drunk enough to have written gibberish. Given her almost laser focus as she wrote it before she was interrupted by…

‘Hnggg.. _Putang ina Ren…_ ’

Apparently, drunk-Lauren decided to also practically tell all her secrets to Steve. She _also_ decided to fall asleep while talking with Tony _fucking_ Stark. It wasn’t the worst thing she could’ve done. But still what a way to make an impression.

She pushed away her mental scolding of herself in favor of checking the message.

She was coherent enough to have sent it, apparently. But had to re-read the whole thing to remember what she said. Despite the attention she knew she gave it, she barely remembered what it was she wrote.

She made no mention of the Avengers, yet. Though she should probably tell them about her housemates soon. Especially since she might have caught Tony’s attention. She didn’t remember exactly what she and Steve were talking about when he came in. But she knew that it was something that caught his interest.

She couldn’t help but groan.

But… it wasn’t exactly a bad thing, was it? She could work with both scenarios. Which could go positively or negatively. She could roll with it. It was no use to continue worrying about it.

Her optimism did nothing to alleviate her nervousness though. Her adaptability to either situation wouldn’t matter if it ended up biting her in the ass anyway.

She really hoped that it didn’t.

It was then that her mind kindly reminded her that she wasn’t where she was supposed to be.

She was in her room.

She clearly remembered setting herself on the communal window seat and being comfy enough to forgo getting more alcohol. So how did she…

She couldn’t get any more embarrassed than she was that morning. It was worse than her first day in the Tower.

Steve probably carried her to her room after she dozed off. She knew that he could probably lift ten of her, but that didn’t make it any less embarrassing. Her level of embarrassment made her wish she didn’t have so much alcohol the previous night. If only because she wanted to drink more now.

Really, wasn’t it enough embarrassment that she spilled her guts out to the man _and_ fell asleep while talking to her boss? She also managed to make Steve carry her to her room. What was she seven? The warm tingly feeling in her chest did not help. How fucking starved for affection was she?

With a sigh, she shook her head in an attempt to… to do something other than think too deeply.

She heaved another sigh. She was not doing herself any favors. But first the message, she gave it another once over before she opened Steve’s message.

_Morning! Don’t worry about preparing breakfast. Meet you in the communal?_

She was glad for its casualness.

Steve wasn’t acting differently. Everything was normal or as normal as they could be. Which reminded her… was it just the alcohol or was there really something awkward between Steve and Tony? Was that normal for them? Once she thought about it, Steve never really talked about Tony. On the rare occasion that he did, it was mostly one-liners of… neutrality? At least that’s what she thought it was. Last night was a whole different thing though. It wasn’t the kind of awkwardness between people who didn’t know what to think of each other. It was more… sad? Or maybe it was disappointment?

She _really_ shouldn’t meddle in things she wasn’t involved in. Based on what was public information, she only knew that Steve knew Tony’s dad. Tony’s dad was part of the reason why Steve was found in the ice. That part Steve had told her. There was also the thing with James being the Winter Soldier… It was too early to think about it. And again, she shouldn’t meddle in things that didn’t concern her.

If Steve went to her about it though…

She pushed that train of thought away.

She also just realized that she didn’t change out of her sleepwear. Compared to her previous embarrassment, it didn’t even bother her anymore. So might as well own it. She was in America. She wasn’t in the Philippines, where there would be endless comments about how she chose to dress in the comfort of her own home. Well, she wasn’t in her own home but that wasn’t the point. She was in a private space with people she could trust. How she chose to dress shouldn’t be an issue.

The inkling of freedom that was sat on her chest blossomed. If it was because she rid herself of her culture’s conservativeness or because she now had someone to talk to freely close to her – she wasn’t sure. In fact, she didn’t really care.

It was exhilarating.

Realizations were neat.

So with some kind of new energy, she set off to try not to look like she was hungover. Which she wasn’t. But she looked like a mess.

* * *

She strode out of her room, refreshed, and comfy in her tank top that showed off her odd flower tattoo and loose shorts. The sense of freedom returned to her. The fact that she could be in her most comfortable clothes outside of her room was really something.

She made her way to the communal to make coffee. Steve and James would be back soon. Her sense of freedom was slowly invaded by a slight feeling of unease. A small voice whispering that Steve would think differently of her. That she was underserving of his friendship. But she valiantly silenced it. Steve wasn’t like that. He was a good friend. A good person. He’d never.

She was so lost in her thoughts ~~once again~~ that she didn’t realize that she wasn’t the only person in the kitchen.

“Interesting tattoo you’ve got there Grimms.”

Whoever it was got punched in the gut. And judging by the person’s alternating breaths and gasps, she got them good.

It took her a moment to process who she sucker-punched.

When she did she couldn’t stop fussing and apologizing.

“Damn, you’ve got one hell of a punch.” Tony gasped. He was still hunched over and rubbing his stomach to stave off the pain.

“Oh god, fuck... I’m so sorry Mr. Stark…”

He took one deep breath and straightened himself out. He waved off Lauren’s continuous apologies.

“Seriously…”

Lauren bit her lip, her hand clenching and unclenching in nervousness.

“Stop apologizing Grimms. I’m fine. That was one fine sucker punch.” Tony teased.

“I’m really, really so sorry sir.” Lauren apologized for one last time.

“You’re worse than Peter. How about this, you tell me about that tattoo of yours and we’re all good. And I’ve told you before, call me Tony.”

She didn’t remember him telling her that. Which meant that he said it last night.

Now that he wasn’t gasping for breath and in pain. He stood straight, his eyes darting to the cause of what could be a bruise on his stomach. “So… what about it?” He prompted, clearly impatient.

“If you’re sure…?”

“Yes, now tell me.”

“Err, okay. So… what about it? It’s a friendship tat. My friends and I got it after I graduated uni.”

“Yeah, yeah. But what _is_ it?” He questioned. His eyes squinted – clearly trying to discern what it was himself.

“Oh uhm, it’s something I drew myself when I was a kid. Mostly inspired by a cherry blossom but I could never get the proportions right and ended up with this. I've been enamored with it ever since.”

This was a first. She kept her tattoo hidden most of the time. This was only the second time she’d showed it off. But before the tattoo, she always had a version of it on her belongings. No one had ever asked her what it was. Then again, even she didn’t know what to call it.

“Are those deer antlers?”

“What? Err, no! No, they’re… those are vines…” She argued – her tone taking on a very defensive tone.

Her flushed complexion told him a lot.

“Interesting. So Deery,” Lauren eyed him suspiciously for that. “Since you fell asleep on me last time. Let’s talk about your job.”

She really wanted to hit him for his not so subtle teasing, boss-man or not. She blamed the tattoo artist for adding in those _vines_. She suspected that Iris had a hand in it, but couldn’t be sure. She wasn’t complaining though. ~~She actually really loved it.~~ She just didn’t like it when the vines were called deer antlers. She had a feeling that there was no escaping her new Tony-dubbed nickname. So she decided to not comment on it in favor of talking about her job.

They ironed out her employment. She was basically employed as a cook ( ~~personal chef)~~ for the Avengers, employed by Tony, and a sort of virtual assistant to Pepper. Her main task as Pepper’s assistant was to filter out Pepper’s emails and contracts or proposals that came through those and make the necessary amendments and what not to them. Pepper also wanted her to eventually be the point person for SI’s New York branch, so she could focus on the main branch. It was a bit of a heavy role to take up, but they were in no rush to put her in it. She took it as a challenge.

Their conversation also helped her forget the embarrassment caused by her actions the previous night. Which she was thankful for. It surprised her how easy it was for her to talk to Tony. She figured it was because of his charisma.

“So those friends of yours? Do they have names?”

She tried her hardest not to show Tony the unease that his question brought her. She had really hoped that he didn’t notice her avoidance. Steve mentioned that he had the tendency to disregard privacy when his curiosity is piqued. She prayed to whatever god or gods there were out there. Whatever it was that caught his attention the previous night, she prayed that it wasn’t something that would uncover what she wasn’t ready to reveal yet.

She really should tell Iris and Greez who she was living with.

Her phone chimed. She hastily excused herself from answering. It was a shitty delaying tactic. She knew she couldn’t escape answering. But it gave her a moment to breathe.

The message was from an unknown number. It only contained a name.

_Cervus Oakley_

Her eyes widened at the sight of it. Her heart leaped. She couldn’t discern if it was to her throat or out of her chest.

She was _not_ blushing. ~~She definitely was~~.

“What? Got a salacious message?” Tony teased.

She cursed her luck. Out of all the people that she could’ve been with when she received the message. It just had to be with Tony Stark. Who was, perhaps, the most audacious with his curiosity. It didn’t help that he had the means to sate that curiosity.

She put her phone down on the counter to massage her temples. She should really talk to Iris soon. ASAP.

Tony, who was already impatient for answers took a peek at the message. He didn’t even bother to hide the fact that he was.

“Cervus Oakley? What kind of name is that? The name sounds suspicious. Friday!”

“What? Wait no!” Lauren frantically called to him. “It’s good... I – I’m okay… I was just… surprised.”

His raised eyebrow and pointed look meant that he wasn’t buying it.

With a heavy sigh, she tried to explain herself.

“He’s a friend. It's just... I wasn’t expecting _him_.”

“If he’s a friend, why are you so stressed? Let me guess… bad break up?”

“What?! No! Definitely not. We weren’t… _aren’t_ like that.”

“Your face tells me otherwise.”

She could only hide her face in embarrassment. It didn’t help that she felt her face grow hotter. She really needed someone to save her from this conversation.

“Mr. Stark, your intern is waiting for you at the lab.”

Lauren would’ve kissed Friday right then and there if she could.

“That’s all the time I’ve got for you, _Deery_. You still haven’t told me your friends’ names.”

She told him just so he would leave her alone. “Iris Nagasaki and Greez Monki.”

“Your friends have such odd names… I like it. Introduce them to me when you get the chance!”

With that, she was Tony-free, who was replaced by Clint. Who just exited the elevator as Tony approached it. Which meant that he also heard all three names.

“Gotta warn you, he _will_ look them up.”

“I know.”

With a sigh that sounded like something between a groan and a whimper, Lauren made herself a large cup of coffee. If the two shots worth of rum she poured into her coffee raised questions (or an eyebrow), she didn’t care. If her liver or stomach hated her the next day, she’ll let tomorrow-Lauren handle it. It was still morning and the day already felt too much. She needed the alcohol. ~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted to avoid putting more alcohol references after the last chapter. But with how this turned out, Lauren deserved it those two shots.
> 
> So! I put in a bit of visual-aid for Lauren's tat. I'm not an artist, but that's pretty much how it looks. Lauren's claim that it was something she drew when she was younger is pretty much how it came up. I tried and failed in drawing a cherry blossom flower and ended up with that. 
> 
> So, what do you guys think of Lauren's backstory so far? Do share. I'd love to hear them. 
> 
> Til the next chapter!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This definitely took longer to finish than I intended. Sorry about that.

Lauren’s morning turned out better than she expected. After her eventful run-in with Tony that officially (in her mind) removed her status as unemployed. She was thankful for the distraction that Clint’s presence offered her. It wouldn’t do for her to dwell on the fact that Tony now had her best friends’ names and _will_ be looking them up. She’ll let her paranoia spiral out later in the safety of her room. It made talking to her two friends about her housemates more urgent than it was. Which just meant she had to talk to them _now_.

Tony really tended to stir things up wherever he went. Which can be both good and bad. It depended on who you asked really.

Also, she still had to talk to Steve about everything. Again… Sober...

She sighed internally. She was being a bit rude. She hasn’t heard a thing of what Clint was saying. Thankfully, he hasn’t noticed or didn’t mind.

When Tony left they started talking about tattoos. Their topic eventually spiraled into talking about Japanese role-playing games and just video games in general. She wasn’t that well versed in the topic but Clint seemed to be happy to let her listen to him rambling. Between his rambling and preparing breakfast (that she let get out of hand) she was sufficiently distracted.

She wasn’t too worried about the amount of food she made. As her mom said, “There can never be too much food.” She was also confident that the team wouldn’t let any of the food go to waste. 

“Welcome back Cap!” Clint greeted Steve as he exited the elevator with James, who Clint greeted with a jerk of his head.

“Mornin’ guys. Couldn’t’ resist the call of the kitchen Lauren?” Steve teased as he put down the bag he was carrying. He shot her a grin of amusement.

She shrugged her shoulders in reply. It slipped her mind that Steve told her she didn’t have to cook today. She felt her ears warm at the implication of a hangover he undoubtedly expected her to have after last night. She was glad that he didn’t say anything though. She didn’t really want Clint to know about her less than stellar habit, yet. Though she had no doubt that James already knew about it. Knowing how close the two were.

Steve opened his mouth, probably to ask her how she was. But hesitated, eyeing Clint who was taking out the bag's contents and set them down on the counter. “You good?” He finally asked just as James finished setting the plates and cutlery out for them.

His mindfulness reminded her how thankful she was that Steve had a heart of gold. His careful choice of words held no hint of her possible hangover. Which she wasn’t, but he didn’t know that.

Her suspicion that James knew about what had happened was confirmed by his amused grin. What made these two super-soldiers such good men?

She beamed at them and nodded in response. She started to heap food onto their plates. It was her way of telling him that they’ll talk about it later.

Other than that, breakfast was a pleasant affair. It was littered with idle chatter led by Clint and the sounds of people eating.

An hour later the two super-soldiers were washing up the dishes. Clint had already slunk away, he clearly had no intention of helping with the clean-up. Not that they were complaining. It gave Lauren a chance to talk to Steve (and James by default).

“Sorry about that… Last night I mean.” She started once she caught Steve’s eyes. “I don’t usually... I mean I tend to drink often but… yeah. That doesn’t happen most of the time.” It was odd. She knew exactly what she wanted to say. But once she opened her mouth the words felt jumbled up.

The scarce words she managed to say wasn’t a lie though. It was unusual that she’d fall asleep while drinking, much less while talking to someone. Maybe it was the pent up stress from everything. Regardless, she just wanted to thank the man for taking care of her. But why did it seem so hard?

She fidgeted as she tried to untangle the words she wanted to say. She felt like a kid trying to explain herself to her parents. _That_ was new. “Uhm, yeah… And thanks… for… for bringing me to my room and all. You didn’t really have to! I used to sleep on my couch a lot when I was younger… and the couches here are really comfy… and…” She was cut off by an amused chuckle.

She wasn’t sure which of them made the sound. Not that knowing would help. They both looked amused. She really wanted to get this over with but her mouth was not cooperating.

“You don’t have to explain yourself you know.” Steve started. His eyes softened, likely noticing her discomfort. “ Things happen… Besides I don’t think it would’ve been right for me to just leave you when I’m could bring you to your room.”

“Still…” She tried to protest. James visibly amused as he watched them talk.

“Arguing with him about it won’t convince him you know. This punk’s one stubborn ass.” James commented with a smile.

Lauren realized that he was right and let it go. But just as she was going to reiterate her thanks her phone chimed with a message.

_When are you free?_

It was from Cervus. She did want to meet him but didn’t expect that it’d be this soon. Wasn’t he tired from traveling? She sent out her response.

_I’m free, but are you sure? I can meet you at the bookstore on 5 th Avenue. It’s close to where I’m staying so just tell me when you’re near. _

She stared at her phone for a while, thinking of what she’ll say to him.

“Everything alright?” Steve asked, concerned.

“Yeah, I just remembered that I have to go out today. Do you guys need anything? I can get it for you if you want.” She replied

Steve paused, thinking, before shaking his head ‘no’.

“James?” She confirmed.

“I’m good. But I do want you to tell me something though.” He replied, which made Lauren raise an eyebrow in question. Judging by Steve’s eye-roll it was probably something related to her drinking.

“Why do you call me James?”

So Steve really did tell him about last night. That or he was genuinely curious.

“Personal preference I guess?” She answered. By his tone, she expected him to tell her to use his nickname.

It never came. He just gave her a small but genuine smile and a nod. It told her that he was actually happy about it. She idly wondered if it had anything to do with the thing with Tony but the thought was quickly forgotten when her phone chimed once more.

_I’ll see you in an hour._

“I’ll go in about an hour. Just text me if you guys change your minds.” She told them pushing herself off the barstool.

Just as she got off, Clint seemingly appeared out of nowhere and asked, “Mind if we tag along?”

She was about to ask who was the rest of “we” when Natasha entered from the elevator greeting everyone.

Her mind raced through acceptable excuses that she could use and came up blank. She’d prefer that they don’t meet Cervus. Not yet at least. She couldn’t think of a believable excuse for a friend from Japan coming over stateside just to check on her.

So she awkwardly told Clint and Natasha that it was okay and sent off a message to Cervus that they’ll be having company.

_I have company tagging along. Help?_

Cervus replied almost instantly. He didn’t even bother helping her with an excuse and just called her troublesome. She couldn’t help but visibly sigh that earned her questioning looks from the superheroes but she waved them off.

She went off to change her clothes after she told Natasha and Clint to meet up at the tower’s entrance in an hour. Her mind was instead trying to find a way to explain how a friend from Japan managed to travel to the other side of the world at the drop of a hat.

She later decided ( ~~realized~~ ) that she didn’t have to explain herself. _If_ they didn’t ask that is.

So an hour later she met up with Clint and Natasha with her mind ill at ease. Clint and Natasha were fine to follow her along. They said they just wanted to get out of the Tower and had no plans whatsoever. She suspected that they were lying. The more paranoid part of her said that they already found all her secrets. Her more rational paranoia said they just wanted to “check her out” so to speak. She’s learned to mute those voices out. But she hoped that Iris didn’t ask Cervus to do something outrageous. No person, no matter how stubbornly lazy (or just stubborn or lazy), they were could go against Iris. She’d know, she tried.

Speaking of Cervus, the bastard. He stopped replying after he texted that he was near their meeting place already. She was still unsure how to approach the situation, but hopefully, she’d be able to wing it.

They entered the store and her she eyes immediately caught onto the only person in the store with a man-bun rested on top of his head.

His hair apparently had grown long enough to stop sticking out of the bun that made him look like a pineapple once upon a time. She met his dark brown eyes that were similar to her own. Though his eyes always looked like he just woke up from a nap, which probably wasn’t far off. She hasn’t spent a lot of time with him but they communicated frequently. He often stopped replying in the middle of a conversation because he’d nodded off. Their conversations often started with him complaining about her more troublesome friend. His words, but she wholeheartedly agreed.

He subtly nudged his head towards another bookshelf in front of him. Quickly realizing his intention, she made her way towards it after briefly checking to see where Natasha and Clint went off to. They were off looking around but were still close.

She was about to say something when her phone pinged with a message that said:

_Black Widow and Hawkeye… Seriously?_

So he wanted to be even more subtle. It was inconvenient but it’ll do.

_Yes, seriously. But_ please _don’t sell me out. I was already planning to tell them._

She replied back. Looking towards him to see his reaction but was met with a deadpanned face. She quickly looked away and decided to browse the shelf of books.

> Cervus: Troublesome woman.
> 
> Lauren: Thanks, did you just get here?
> 
> C: No. Been here a few days.
> 
> L: WTF and you just tell me now? Seriously. Wait… You already knew! I didn’t even have to ask you to hide it from them. Fuck you.

She glared at him. If looks could hurt…

> L: Bah, when are you leaving?
> 
> C: Tomorrow, probably. Iris hasn’t told me to return yet. But since you don’t seem as troubled as she thought you’d be, I’ll probably be okay returning without her say.
> 
> L: Why’d she send you anyway? Doesn’t she need your brains for something?
> 
> C: Told her the same thing but she insisted. Didn’t help that she had backup. Troublesome women.

And so teasing ensued. Lauren teased him on his name origin as well as versions of ‘lazy ass bastard’ – to which he returned to her. If he was someone who was lazy because he was too intelligent. She, on the other hand, was too lazy to utilize her intelligence. According to their mutual friends at least. Occasionally they’d exchange looks and small grins whenever one of them would make a particularly witty comeback.

They were a bit too engrossed in their teasing of each other that neither of them saw that Lauren’s companions noticed their increasingly unsubtle interactions. Clint elbowed Natasha to direct her attention towards them.

The two spies decided that watching them was infinitely more entertaining than browsing whatever books there were. Clint muttering that he wished he had popcorn.

They eventually stopped when Lauren finally noticed that Clint and Natasha were hovering in the bookshelf next to hers. She grabbed a random book by an author she knew and turned towards them.

Just as she started to tell them that she just had to pay for the book she grabbed, her eyes caught onto the display of Moleskine notebooks. She made a beeline towards the display. Her hand reaching for the one that caught her attention. She strained to reach it since whoever arranged the display decided to put it on the higher part of the shelf. She was surprised when she saw someone else pluck it off and hand it to her. She was more surprised to find that it was Cervus, who gave her a teasing smile (that was undoubtedly a jab at her height) and went off to pay for the book in his hand.

She had to collect herself for a few seconds before she could study the notebook. It had a plain blue-green cover that was more on the pastel side. She normally wouldn’t go for anything light-colored but this was a Moleskine. A notebook brand she’s always wished she could buy since high school. She figured the lighter-color would give her more incentive to take better care of it. She also impulsively grabbed a dark blue art sketchbook that was nearby and went off to pay for her items.

After she paid, Natasha approached her with a questioning eyebrow. Her eyebrows scrunched up in thought trying to understand what her red-haired friend was trying to say.

“What?”

The shocked expressions of the spies' faces made her feel like she missed something big.

“Seriously? Please tell me you’re playing with me.” Natasha answered, in a mix of amusement and surprise.

Lauren bit back a retort. She didn’t see what they were trying to say. And their continued silence didn’t help.

“Holy shit. Nat, I think she’s serious.”

“Yes, I am serious. And this is getting annoying.” Lauren snapped when Clint’s smirk pinched in his effort to stop himself from laughing. She was already tempted to kick him in the shin but Natasha slapped his arm instead.

“That dude that handed you the notebook.” Natasha pointed out like it explained everything.

Her mind immediately went to hell. Did they already know about it? What was she going to do? How was she going to explain it to Steve? To Iris and Greez? Were they bringing her in?

But then she remembered herself and tried her best to push away her thoughts. It was never good to assume things. So once again, her eyebrows scrunched up in concentration- which was interrupted by Natasha who decided to end her misery.

“That dude was flirting with you.”

Lauren felt like a deer in the headlights. She couldn’t deny that there was something that drew her attention to Cervus. Not to mention that she also enjoyed spending time with him. There was an undeniable chemistry between them. But she was unsure if she even liked him beyond something platonic Surely whatever it was she had going on with Cervus wasn’t what Natasha and Clint thought it was. Right? It’s been a long while since she felt in love with someone. It didn’t turn out too well, but that was a story for another time.

She honestly didn’t know what to say to that but she tried. Her mouth tried and failed to open up and say _something_. In the end, she could only stare at their faces utterly speechless. Natasha had an eyebrow raised and Clint was staring right back at her. He looked amused and, maybe, surprised? She couldn’t be sure. She was sure that he was close to laughing though… again.

Their little impasse ended when her phone pinged. Twice.

She opened the first one _._ It was from Cervus that said, “Good luck.” Along with a cartoon sticker of a deer that was sticking its tongue out at her.

The second one was from a courier saying that her item was picked up and will take up to 2 weeks to arrive. It was odd because she didn’t recall ordering anything.

“So… Are you guys ready to head back? Or did you want to go somewhere else?” She decided to ask completely ignoring the thing that had happened just a few moments before.

They both were good to go. But there was something about Clint’s look that she couldn’t help but feel like it spelled trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A mysterious package for Lauren, and also, we get to meet another OC, who isn't technically an OC. I'm willing to insert a scene request or suggestion to this fanfic of whoever figures out who Cervus is. :D His name is actually a big clue. Message me your guesses!
> 
> Special mention to my friends  arsenouselation  and u-niquette who's been helping me with this fic and encouraged me to write this.
> 
> Also, this chapter was inspired by the song "Bookstore Girl" by Charlie Burg. 
> 
> Once again, thanks for reading! Stay safe~


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't re-read this chapter yet. I'm posting this at 5:20 AM where I am.
> 
> Edit 8/19/20:
> 
> Surprisingly, there wasn't much to edit. Congrats 5 AM me from 3 days ago.

Clint pranced into the communal. His lips settled in a mischievous grin when he spotted the whole team present. Though his focus seemed to be zeroed-in on Steve specifically.

Lauren followed him in, shuffling her feet. She could feel Natasha watching her as they entered. She looked at her briefly without meeting her eyes and sighed. She was going to get teased. She just knew it.

“Lauren was flirting in the bookstore!” Clint blurted out in a sing-song voice.

“I was not!” Lauren argued defensively.

“Dude even picked out a notebook for her! Bet he slipped his number too didn’t he?” Clint continued to tease her waggling his eyebrows.

Steve raised an eyebrow at her in question. It made her feel like a kid being scolded by a parent for talking to strangers. But knowing it was Steve made her roll her eyes. In contrast, she could see James grinning. It was like he approved of her flirting or was just amused, she wouldn’t know. She’d ask later.

“Didn’t think you’d be the type to flirt around Deery.” Tony commented, “What happened to that Cervus guy? He got you blushing and spluttering with just a text.”

She could already hear Steve’s questions despite him only staring at her, his eyebrow raised. (Still? Again?)

“I told you, mister… “ Tony gave her a hard look, “Tony – he’s just a friend. I was just surprised is all.”

“Right,” Tony replied, dragging the word out. He exchanged looks with Natasha. An unspoken agreement passed between them. 

Lauren could already hear the teasing their looks entailed. But Steve’s continued stare prompted her to mouth ‘later’ to him.

At that point, she chose to start on dinner and some snacks since it was a bit too late for a proper lunch. She was craving for some stew. Maybe something from the home, adobo maybe or lutong paso. And maybe some Filipino-style grilled cheese sandwich bites for a snack. She let herself focus on preparing the food to drown out Clint’s teasing.

She started on the snacks first. She grabbed some generic white bread, processed filled cheese, brown sugar, and butter. She could feel the Avengers watching her, the odd addition of sugar in the mix caught their attention. She blasted the butter in the microwave to soften it up for easy spreading. She buttered both sides of the bread slices, paired them, then lined them up. She grated the cheese on the top slices and sprinkled sugar on half of the laid-out slices to play safe. She proceeded to assemble the sandwiches, making sure to put a marker on the sweetened ones, and used the panini press (because of course, a Stark kitchen would have one) to cook them so she was free to prepare dinner.

Just as she was going to grab the ingredients for dinner she was stopped by Tony.

“Nope, no cooking dinner tonight Deery. I’ve taken the liberty of ordering pizza.”

“Okay? But why?”

“Well, since you’ve met everyone minus Point Break. I figured you should have a welcome party.” Tony replied with a wink. “Get to know everyone and all that.”

Lauren wanted to protest, she didn’t need to have a party to feel welcome. But judging from the amused grins of the whole team, she knew there was no stopping them.

Dinner plans decided, everyone settled around the communal. Tony and Bruce were on the dining table discussing something related to the physics of Tony’s latest suit design. Steve and James sat on the breakfast bar chatting. Natasha was with Lauren in the kitchen but stayed by the coffee machine that she started for everyone. Clint went off somewhere after asking Lauren what drink she’d pair with pizza. She absently replied with ‘beer’, but after she saw Steve’s chiding look she quickly amended it to ‘root beer’. Her amendment earned her a knowing look from both agents.

Clint later appeared with a case of drinks in hand. It was root beer, but Lauren was surprised to find that it had alcohol. Steve saw the alcohol content and just shook his head. The pizza arrived about an hour after Clint and everyone gathered around the dining table.

There was pleasant conversation all around. Clint acted as a sort of moderator, who mostly just prompted Lauren to recount how she met everyone. Everyone’s second names or full names came up once again, along with a few curious questions about powerlifting, mostly from James and Natasha.

When all the pizza was gone and everyone was finishing their drinks, Lauren couldn’t help but notice that there was still an awkwardness between Tony and Steve. She knew about what happened with James and Tony’s parents. But that couldn’t be the only thing, right? James wasn’t liable for what he did when he was brainwashed. Or maybe Tony didn’t see it that way or couldn’t separate the Winter Soldier from James. Is that why James was happy to be called his actual name rather than his nickname?

She shouldn’t be speculating. Maybe she should ask someone. Would Steve or James mind if she asked them? She decided to try asking when she talked to them about Cervus.

* * *

It was almost midnight when Lauren finally found herself alone with the two super-soldiers. She fiddled with her phone, turning it in her hand. She wasn’t sure why, but she felt nervous about the conversation to come. Not because she didn’t want to talk about it, but mostly because this was the first time she’s talked about it sober. She limited herself to only two cans of root beer. Mostly because Steve made it a point to give her a stink eye every time she tried to grab another.

Steve plopped himself onto the couch across her. James was just about to leave to let them talk.

“I don’t mind if you stay James.” She called to him. Steve gave her a sheepish smile, which was his way of apologizing for telling James all about her previous word vomit. She took a deep breath and exhaled. “So, where do you want to start?”

“How much of last night do you remember?”

“I wasn’t drunk Steve, I remember everything.”

Silence engulfed them as they all thought about how to start. The sound of the evening shower made the silence less awkward.

“Have you been drinking that much since you came here?” Steve decided to ask. His eyes shined with concern.

“Oh god, no. I know I like telling you my drunk stories, but I promise you I’ve grown past that. This last week has just been stressful. I mean, I’m grateful that you offered me a place to stay, but I couldn’t stay unemployed and mooch off you guys, you know. I didn’t think that Clint was telling the truth that Tony would actually hire me to cook for you guys. So I kept looking, then yesterday something else came up and I just… I just needed something to help me unwind.”

“Okay… What do you remember?”

“I remember everything Steve. I wasn’t _that_ drunk.” She could feel the frustration and embarrassment well up in her as she repeated herself.

Steve scoffed, “You sure about that?”

Lauren didn’t get it. One bottle between two people – well, one person and one super-soldier – that wasn’t a lot.

“Lauren, when I found you last night only a quarter of the bottle was left. Then we shared another bottle. But you still drank twice as much as me even with me pouring.”

Lauren winced at his chiding and the realization that her old drinking habits surfaced.

“Sorry, I’ll control myself better next time.”

“No more drinking alone.” Steve made her promise.

“Promise.”

“Do your friends know about your drinking habits?” James, who was silent through the whole exchange, piped up.

“They don’t… I mean, I’ve drunk with them before and they know I got drunk often in college but they haven’t seen me get myself drunk. I control myself better when I drink with them cause I know I have to keep them out of trouble.”

James gave her a sympathetic look. “Yeah, hell I had to get good at boxing because of this guy.” He jabbed his thumbed at Steve. “Thankfully it earned me some cash too. Else all that hard-earned skill would’ve been wasted on saving his sorry ass from trouble.”

That got them talking on lighter subjects. Starting with James telling how Steve just didn’t know how to back down from a losing fight, and Lauren having to prevent Iris from being sent out from class by teachers almost every single day of their school life. That one time James made Steve ride the Cyclone in Coney Island. Lauren telling them of how she had to plan how to sneak out during school hours. Either because Iris somehow managed to convince them to go on a food binge (those challenges where you had to eat this huge amount of food within a time limit) or Greez just had to help some abandoned animal, immediately. James was about to start on another story about Steve, but was stopped when Steve cleared his throat, ears pink from embarrassment, asked:

“What got you so concerned before you left earlier?”

Lauren thought about how she was going to answer. On one hand, she could tell them the truth about Cervus and maybe reveal a bit more about their shenanigans as teenagers. They were already on the topic after all. But then, it would raise questions she wasn’t quite ready to answer yet. So maybe a little white lie for now…

“I got this message you see, from courier service telling me I have a package arriving. But I haven’t ordered anything recently. None of my friends or family have told me they’re sending me something either. So, yeah...”

The two men’s eyes widened in alarm. A package from an unknown sender and origin just a week after she moved into the Tower was suspicious.

“When it arrives, don’t forget to have Friday scan it first and call anyone from the team before you open it up even if Friday deems it safe. Just to be sure, okay?” Steve urged her.

Lauren, dumbfounded, stiffly nodded her head in reply. That was an unanticipated reaction. She repeated his instructions in her head so she won’t forget. But their paranoia reminded her of something.

“Friday… She’s Tony’s AI, right? Does he…” Lauren hesitated to ask her question, paranoia getting the better of her for just a moment but she pushed through, “When Friday scans the package, will Tony know about the contents?”

That made Steve pause for a minute before he could answer.

“I think… as long as it doesn’t contain a threat to the Tower your privacy will be respected. But well, if Tony somehow catches wind of a mysterious package arriving for you, he’s likely to show up anyway when you open it. He likes knowing what goes on around here. Especially after…”

‘… after finding out about James.’ Lauren continued in her head when she heard Steve trail off as his eyes subconsciously turned to James. A tense atmosphere fell between them at that moment. It was clear to her that neither was ready to bring up the cause of their awkwardness with their landlord. She wasn’t sure how long they kept silent, but James, thankfully, was able to break through it.

“So, Deery, care for another drink tonight?” He teased her good-naturedly.

“Yeah, nope. Not tonight. Tomorrow maybe?” She replied with a wink. Earning an eye roll and laugh from Steve and James.

With the tension broken, their talk ending on a light tone, they decided to call it a night.

Just when Lauren was about to settle down for bed. Her phone rang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lauren will _finally_ have her talk in the next chapter! I originally planned for it to be the ending for this chapter but it just didn't seem right to me. Sorry about that. Will post the next one sooner than this one! Even if I have to post it unedited. Promise.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's here! In record time for me. I dedicate this chapter to [ arsenouselation ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/arsenouselation) most of the stuff in here was her idea and had her approval.

When her phone rang she couldn’t help but just stare at it. She was _not_ prepared to have this conversation. There was a strong urge to mute her phone and just call it a night. But the profile picture that stared back at her seemed to glare when her thumb reached for the mute button.

_Iris Nagasaki_

She stared at the name for a few more seconds before accepting the call. Her friend’s dark eyes stared back at her. Her stark white hair practically shining in the late afternoon sun.

_What the fuck took you so long to answer?? And where’s you’re video?!_

Lauren sighed, it was now or never. She took a deep breath and schooled her face before she switched on her video sharing.

“Anya ngai?” She greeted them with a nod of her head.

_There she is! SO! How’s work? Your last text said you got a job?_

“Yeh, remember how I interned for a big-time corporation before I graduated?”

_No fucking way?! They took you back?? Of course, they did! You’re_ that _good. Congrats!_

She could hear Greez echo her congratulations somewhere close to Iris, probably working on another car or something.

“You exaggerate. Thanks, uh. That’s not all though. Uhm, you should probably go inside. It’s a bit important, as in shit-could-happen important.”

Lauren could feel her heartbeat get a bit heavier. She pressed her lips in worry when Iris raised an eyebrow at her but did what she asked.

_What’s up Thread?_

She couldn’t help but smile at the little nickname. All that ‘rescuing’ and punishment redirection she did when they were younger earned her the name. It was inspired by an old Japanese short story where Buddha sends down a spider’s thread to a criminal for a chance to escape It was one of Iris’ more poetic moments. The name also pertained to her role in the group. Especially when it came to all the trouble they (Iris) managed to get themselves into.

“Do you guys remember the name of the company I interned at?”

_No. You know how bad my memory is._

She sighed, this was going to take longer than she thought.

“You _must_ have heard of the Avengers at least?”

_Course! And that dude, in America’s colors? America’s Ass? Not to mention, Black Widow! That ensemble is just…_

Iris’ hand was in an ok gesture. Her mind was probably running through all the paparazzi photos, not to mention fan art, that was available online of the superheroes.

“So…” She dragged out the word as she thought of how to start the next sentence, “you know a friend of mine is letting me crash at their place right?”

_Yeah? What’s that got to do with the Avengers?_

She gave her friend a look she knew would translate to ‘I’m getting to that, and if you could let me finish.’

“So, America’s Ass? He’s the friend that let me crash at their place.”

Iris just blinked her eyes and stared at her and said:

_Pics or it didn’t happen._

Lauren groaned in response. “Dude, you know I don’t do selfies.”

Iris gave her another deadpan stare, probably trying to wrap her mind around the fact that her best friend was currently living with the Avengers. Or more like she was imagining herself surrounded by the superheroes. The longer she kept silent the more her eyebrows started to knit together.

_This isn’t a call for help right?_

Greez off frame shouted.

_You’re ain’t bein’ sold ‘ta slavery right??_

Iris’ face was in a serious albeit deadpan stare.

_Blink twice if you need help, thrice if you’re being sold to slavery but don’t mind being America’s Ass sex slave, or Black Widow. Do you swing that way? Doesn’t matter, we love you anyway._

The fact that her best friend could say that with such a straight face just made Lauren’s mouth hang in disbelief. She honestly had no words.

Greez came into view pushing off Iris off the camera’s frame. Her dark hair was in a loose messy bun. Her face was littered with dirt and grime from working on cars that seemed to pronounce the mischief in her dark green eyes.

_SO! How was your date?_

“It was _not_ a date!”

The fact that she didn’t have to say a name probably said a lot. But Lauren wasn’t about to admit to whatever it that meant.

“Which reminds me! Iris! Why the fuck did you send him over? I _know_ you have other ways to check on me. You didn’t have to send the poor guy on a half-day flight. Not to mention having him hole up in who knows where since you didn’t even bother telling me he was coming over.”

She didn’t know why the fact that she wasn’t told of Cervus’ arrival grated on her more than being checked on. Probably because of her role as the mother-friend of the group. Probably.

Iris squeezed herself into the camera frame so both her and Greez could be seen.

_Because, if I didn’t he would’ve moped around here ‘til you called him to say you’re fine. Which I know you wouldn’t ‘cause you guys seem to have, like, this really.drawn.out.foreplay – which…? Weird kink, but okay. I’m just trying to speed things along y’know. You’re welcome!_

She didn’t understand how that was an acceptable explanation for sending a person from the other side of the world just to check on her. But Iris… you can’t explain the shit that goes through her mind. So with a sigh, she just accepted it and focused back the image of her two best friends.

Scratch that, just one. Iris went off frame again.

“Anyway, so I’m currently living with the Avengers and I sort of slipped your names to Tony-fucking-Stark. He’s bound to look you guys up too. Please tell me there isn’t anything too alarming attached to your names now? I haven’t looked them up recently. If there are I beg you, no getting into international incidents. _Please._ ”

_I’mma make sure to tell yer boyfriend dat! He’s your deputy after all. Keepin’ Iris out of trouble an’ all dat._

“He is – not – my boyfriend!”

_Not yet!_

Iris once again squeezed herself into the camera’s frame.

_Gotta go now. Remember! Pics or it didn’t happen!_

Lauren wanted to protest but the call ended before she could get a word in. She had no choice. She needed to ask for Steve and Bucky for a picture or they’d just brush her warning off. Cervus could probably convince them, but who knows what kind of trouble Iris would get into before he arrived.

* * *

The next morning, Lauren waited nervously for Steve and James. She really wasn’t one to take photos of herself. If there were any photos of her it would usually be taken with her friends. As a child, she enjoyed having her photo taken but that enthusiasm disappeared once she reached puberty. Her hormones messed with her weight and there were few days in her pubescent life where her face was free of zits. Not to mention the woes of a teenage girl who had bacne. She had a lot of insecurities she hasn’t grown out of yet despite the absence of zits on any part of her body.

So yes, she was not comfortable asking for a photo with two very handsome men. Yes, she was aware that they were handsome she wasn’t _blind_. Everyone on the team could pass as models in fact. One did not become best friends with Iris and not learn to appreciate and recognize when someone was attractive, no matter the gender.

The elevator chimed announcing the arrival of her roommates. Breakfast was normal despite her nervousness. The two men cleaned up. She stayed on her barstool and waited for them to finish – turning her phone in her hand restlessly the entire time.

“What’s up?” James called to her as he rested his hands on the counter in front of her.

She involuntarily squeaked in response. She was so nervous she didn’t notice James in front of her. Her reaction made him grin in amusement. Said grin just reminded her that she had no business asking for a picture with such an attractive face. But there was a tiny voice in her head that reminded her that needed to do it to keep her very troublesome friend out of possible international incidents. So in a single breath, she pushed out her request.

“I need a photo with you guys so Iris would believe that I’m living with you.”

Her face flushed in embarrassment. Oh, the things she did for her friends.

James and Steve exchanged a look, she wasn’t sure what it meant but they said yes. James just wordlessly pulled her seat (with her in it) out of the counter so they could fit on either side of her. They each had an arm behind her to squeeze into the camera’s frame. How she managed to open the app despite her shock, she didn’t know, but it was happening.

The two men leaned in closer and smiled as she counted to three before pressing the shutter. Her smile felt awkward – heck her whole body felt awkward. Just as she pressed the shutter she felt and saw Steve and James lean their heads down to hers to press a kiss on her head.

It had her so shell-shocked and speechless, that Steve easily took her phone off her hands and apparently sent it off.

She still couldn’t form any words when they returned the phone to her. She just – stared.

She was broken out of her shock when her phone chimed – multiple times. It was Iris, the photo got a very enthusiastic reaction from her friend.

_Holy.Fucking.Shit._

_I WANT ONE._

_I’LL TRADE KAKU FOR ONE OF THEM. FUCK, I’LL EVEN STOP PUSHING HIM ON YOU IF YOU DO._

_ALSO, WHY THE FUCK DIDN’T YOU TELL ME YOU LIKE BEING SANDWIHCHED?? I APPROVE._

The last one had a sticker of a weird yellow round thing with it’s thumbs up. Lauren could only give the two men a deadpan stare and say.

“You’ve created a monster.”

That only made them roar with laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you guys thought? Thanks for reading!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is long overdue. Sorry about that.

It’s been a week since the Manwich incident (as it was lovingly dubbed by Iris), and Lauren couldn’t help but feel a bit restless. Admittedly the Manwich incident _did_ make her restless, with embarrassment, exasperation, and maybe a bit of arousal (the two were unfairly attractive sue her). She was still a fully functioning young woman – thank you very much. But that wasn’t the cause of her restlessness at that particular moment.

Her restlessness was because of a certain package that was set to be delivered any minute now. She already received the courier’s notice that the package was to be dropped off that day. It was already midday – so it should arrive any minute now. The fact that she had no idea what the package contained and who sent it just added to her nerves. It couldn’t be Iris. She had other means to send a package, discreetly. Not to mention that if it was her she would’ve told her outright. It couldn’t be her family either since they only sent stuff using relatives who lived in other states.

“Ms. Grimms, there’s a package for you.” Friday’s voice brought her out of her musing. Just in time to prevent her thoughts from spiraling.

Friday helpfully informed her that the communal would be the best place to open the package. It made her wonder what kind of security measures the place had – and for what reasons. Hulk reasons maybe? Or Thor? It wasn’t really relevant to the situation. So, she agreed to receive the package in the communal.

After making sure that Friday already called whoever was free to the communal as back-up. In case things exploded in her face. Hopefully not literally. Friday already assured her that there wasn’t anything explosive in the package but it didn’t stop the morbid thoughts from filtering in.

When she arrived at the communal she was met by a wiry young man who had curly brown hair and matching brown eyes.

“Hi – so, uhm – are you Lauren Grimms?” The young man? – god damn she felt old saying that – shyly asked her.

“Yup! I think you have something of mine?” Lauren teased. She couldn’t help but grin when the boy – young man, she really wasn’t sure – remembered the package he held and fumbled to hand it over.

She was impressed that despite his fumbling the package didn’t seem to jostle. The bright shade of red that his face took on was just a tad more impressive though.

“So who do I have to thank for this?”

“Happy signed it off for you but Mr. Stark asked him to do something so…”

She raised an eyebrow at the young man’s – because she couldn’t guess his age and she’d really rather not – rambling. She wasn’t normally this … mean … but after all the embarrassment she suffered the previous week she felt justified to dole out some teasing herself.

“Uhm, yeah…” She maintained her pointed look to get her point across to him. “Oh… Oh! You meant me. You were asking for my name! Sorry… Uhm, sorry. Peter. Peter Parker, ma’am.”

She shook his hand and gave him a large smile after taking her package off his hands. “Thank you, Peter. You must be Tony’s intern then? Your name comes up a lot whenever Tony and Bruce talk.”

Peter Parker, she learned, was a genius on par of Tony. It explained why he was already an intern at whatever age he was… The point was he was fucking smart. They made a bit of small talk about his schooling and internship while they waited for someone from the team. She could sort of understand the project he was working on with Tony – thanks to Greez. It boiled down to them trying to work on making the Iron Man suit better and possibilities to build a version of it for each Avenger.

They were about to start talking about Sci-Fi movies when James and Sam entered the communal. They both greeted Peter enthusiastically, James more so than Sam. They seemed close – in a way that reminded her of two troublesome siblings and their long time baby sitter.

So, with the presence of two Avengers and Friday’s clearance of the package – which just meant that it wasn’t something explosive that was already discovered, but you never knew – Lauren started to open the package.

Her eyes skimmed over the parcel information and cut the bag open. Once she got the thing out of the outer plastic bag, she couldn’t stop the groan that escaped her and the urge to facepalm.

It was a rectangular box that was wrapped in blue-grey wrapping paper dotted with white pawprints. She hadn’t bothered to check the sender but based on the wrapping paper she already had an idea. To her exasperation, when she re-checked the sticker on the outer plastic was the name of the sender, or rather the lack of name of the sender. It came from a pet grooming studio in Japan whose owner she knew. He should’ve known better than to send her packages out of the blue. She briefly wondered how he even knew her present address but that question was quickly forgotten when she felt the stares boring into her. She sighed, muttering “Why me?” before proceeding to tear off the wrapping paper off the box that revealed a dark wooden box and a notecard that just said “Congratulations”.

The box had a simple latch that she flipped open to reveal a gun.

A mother fucking gun.

Admittedly it was a gun she had admired one time many summers ago, mostly because of its aesthetic but also because of second-hand accounts of its reliability. But still... Why the fuck would anyone send her a gun across the world? Why would that eccentric, perverted, gray-haired person send her a fucking gun? He really should’ve known better.

The papers tucked under the gun told her that – somehow – he was able to get all the clearances for her to own a gun _and_ carry said gun with her… from across the world. What the fricking fuck?

Just as she was going to cuss the sender out for making her life so troublesome Tony Stark announced himself by saying:

“Why is there a non-Stark weapon in my building?”

Because, of course, all security and Avengers were fitted with Stark Industries Technology. A weapon of unknown origin would raise flags. She also had the feeling that Tony was also curious about who had the balls to anonymously send a package to a resident of the Avengers Tower. Fan mail did not count.

She didn’t – couldn’t – answer him though. She was still stricken by the gun before her. All the eccentricities of the sender did not answer _why_ he would send a mother fucking gun across the world. But at the same time, it sort of did.

She pushed the questions away to study the engraving on the left grip panel. It looked to be an odd but simple tribal spiral that had two tails going opposite directions pointing to the top and bottom of the handle. She had no clue as to why it was engraved on the gun or what it could possibly mean. She filed the question away for later with a mental note to also cuss out and thank the sender when she had the time.

Tony repeated his question. As the owner of the building he had the right to know and needed answers else, he did… something. She had no idea what he’d do if she didn’t answer him and she didn’t want to find out. So she tried her best to explain.

“I’m really sorry about all the trouble and worry this caused Tony. I have a very troublesome friend-slash-sort-of-brother-slash-mentor who really should know better. But apparently, he decided that sending me a gun as a graduation gift was a brilliant idea. He’s a mother fucking little shit for sending it out of the blue and I have no fucking clue to how he even knew that I live here. So I’m really, really sorry about this... If I knew beforehand I would’ve warned you. ”

She should probably tone down the cussing because there was a (possible) minor in the room but she was feeling too many conflicting emotions to really care. Tony seemed to accept her explanation. He hadn’t even bothered to ask if she had a license for the weapon and just left after he absently commented on the listed sender with an amused smirk. “Mother fucking indeed.”

She would later realize that Tony could read and probably also speak Japanese and made sure to remembered to store that little fact at the forefront of her mind.

Peter, who looked torn between wanting to stay and following after his mentor, followed him out after some subtle encouragement from Sam, who was eager to separate James and Peter for some reason.

Sam and James decided to stick around after James sheepishly asked Lauren for snacks that she gladly provided. They were both obviously curious about the gun and why she was gifted one. Which she readily explained when Sam asked.

“Remember I told you that my family used to spend summers near military training camps? Marksmanship was part of the stuff they decided to teach me. The one who sent this taught me how to handle a gun better. Before him, I only knew how to fire and safely handle a gun but could barely hit the bullseye.”

Her explanation seemed to make him more curious but he didn’t ask further. James on the other hand had a mischievous look in his eye. She had a feeling that she’ll be spending some time in the Tower’s firing range soon.

Just when she was convinced that the gun would be the last surprise of the day, Friday informed her that someone had dropped something off for her once again. She didn’t receive any notification of a second package arriving for her. So of course her two companions were put on edge once again.

People should really stop sending her stuff without telling her.

With a heavy sigh, she told Friday to have it brought up to the communal. After making sure that the package was already scanned and deemed safe, a member of the Tower’s security team brought it up and handed it over without a word.

It was another wooden box. It had no notable features. It was closed with a sliding panel. It didn’t have any stamps or stickers that told them of its source. James offered to open it up, just in case.

The wooden panel didn’t trigger anything. Which was expected but still. Inside was something wrapped in a grey silk cloth patterned with brown branches that spread out and were dotted with dark green leaves nestled in wood shavings. On top of the cloth sat a note.

_Just in case_

_\- Cervus_

The note earned her raised eyebrows from her companions. Sam had a cheeky look and James had a knowing look that just told her that she was not going to live this down.

“Another graduation gift?” Sam teased.

Lauren ignored them in favor of checking what was inside the silk wrapping. From the shape of it, she already had an inkling to what it contained. It warmed her chest in excitement and fondness. She missed her kendo days when her hands and feet had callouses from handling the shinai and practicing footwork.

Untying the wrapping revealed what looked to be two wooden tanto. Closer inspection revealed that one had a blade but its sheath and handle were cleverly carved to look like one whole piece.

“That’s a pretty expensive gift from someone who’s just a friend,” James commented.

“Lauren, if this doesn’t tell you that this Cervus guy has a thing for you I don’t know what will,” Sam added in with a huge grin.

“That dude from the bookstore has his work cut out for him.” James teased. Sam agreed with his statement by wiggling his eyebrows at her.

“Damn girl, you’re getting more attention than us, and we’re the superheroes. What’s your secret?”

Lauren could only groan in reply and half-heartedly tell them to shut up.

If they found out that bookstore guy and Cervus was one person… She had a feeling the teasing would be worse than whatever Iris could muster. Although it did make her think.

Cervus wasn’t the type to casually send gifts. Hell, their group of friends rarely exchanged gifts, more content to spend time together either through video calls or get-togethers. Him sending… a gift? Care package? _Something_ … must mean something? It could be that he was just worried about her. It could also be that it was a group thing, but then, only he signed the note. She really didn’t want to assume but her mind sort of already did judging by the warming of her cheeks.

While she was busy deciphering what the package could mean Sam and James already went off somewhere – leaving her alone with her thoughts.

She recognized that what she felt for him wasn’t strictly platonic. He was a great guy. Incredibly smart, caring, and funny in his own way. After getting to know him she found herself looking for his advice and conversation. So yeah, maybe she did had feelings for him but it wasn’t anything romantic. Surely it was just admiration? Not… _love_. Point is, it wasn’t anything that would push her to want a relationship with the guy. No matter how much she found herself smiling throughout their conversations and her gravitating towards him whenever he was near.

She shook her head of her thoughts. Silence was bad. It made her think too much and too deeply. She didn’t feel like going back to her room just to listen to music. Surely, Tony had all sorts of music in Friday’s system stored away. If that didn’t work out there was always the internet. The communal had an impressive sound system and it would be a shame to not use it. After asking Friday to play whatever, she made her way to one of the couches and set herself comfortably to just listen and enjoy the music. A few songs later she started to mouth the lyrics of most of the songs while the rain started to pour down. The pitter-patter of the raindrops adding to the relaxing atmosphere she found herself in.

A few minutes go by and the rain started to escalate quickly. The sound of the rain and wind hitting the tall windows grew so loud that it drowned the music out. She didn’t want to play so loudly so she looked around for a headset so she could hear the music better. She ended up finding one. It was the noise-canceling kind that inevitably made her sing louder than she usually did. Not that she noticed. She was also too busy browsing to even notice how bad the weather became and then suddenly just stopped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's pretty obvious who's coming up in the next chapter. The original plan was to have him appear here but well, it sort of felt right to cut it off before then. 
> 
> Also, I'm already starting to in blatant clues to what fandom this fic sort of cross overs with. Virtual chocolate chip cookies to whoever already figured it out before this. Hope you enjoyed it!


	14. Chapter 14

Thoughts of a dark-haired male with a top-knot flitted in and out of Lauren’s mind as she listened and sang to the music playing through the fancy headphones she found. Its noise-canceling feature made her ignorant of the odd weather that was an angry typhoon in a minute and then gone with the next. Her singing came in short bursts as she listened to songs she enjoyed but held no sentiment for. One song in particular caught the attention of the blond-haired man who had just exited the elevator and was greeted by the lyrics she sang.

_I won’t bow, I won’t break_

_No, I’m not afraid to do whatever it takes_

_I’ll never bow, I’ll never break_

She stopped singing but continued to mouth the lyrics of the chorus and the rest of the song. When she sang once again it was only to the echo of the chorus’ lyrics that were the last few seconds of the song.

_I am stronger_

_I will conquer_

_I’ll never falter_

_I’m a warrior_

And so her audience was very much intrigued. Who was this woman who sang of victory in war? As a man raised in warrior culture that exchanged stories of victory of the past and present over a plentiful feast, he was inclined to ask the lady for her stories. His shield-brothers and sister were not ones to sing or share the stories of their victories. It would be a balm to his home-sickness if he could find someone who shared similar practices to his home while he was away.

Still ignorant of her audience, Lauren sang the next song in its entirely. Her knees bouncing to the beat of the song. As she sang she started to make gestures to the lyrics her head twisting to the side when the tone of the song became a bit vindictive. The song ended and seemed to have energized her. She made a move to stand as she bobbed her head to the next song that played once again only singing some parts of it.

Once she turned around to make her way to the kitchen to make herself a drink. She was surprised to see a very tall and muscular man in armor with a red cape flowing behind his back. It immediately made her push down the headphones to rest on her shoulders, realizing that it was likely that he heard her sing just now. She was glad she hadn’t started to “dance” (her nephew called it her butt-dance but really it was just her twisting her hips that she tended to do when she got excited or was happy about something). He gave her a small yet blinding smile that just made her flush further with embarrassment. She squeaked a greeting to him in response.

“You have a wonderful voice, my lady.” He greeted her. He offered his hand for what she presumed was a handshake. She took his hand and was surprised to see him bow slightly and kiss her knuckles. She knew that Thor – because who else could he be, – spoke like someone out of a Shakespeare novel but wasn’t aware that he retained etiquette from that era too. Thankfully, she wasn’t too floored by the gesture to give her thanks to his compliment.

“It appears that many things has happened during my absence here on Midgard. Forgive me if I am wrong my lady but I presume that you are a shield-sister to the Man of Iron or the Captain?”

It took her a second to school her features on the way he addressed Tony. It wasn’t exactly funny but somehow it was. She was about to correct him when Steve entered her field of vision and greeted Thor. Her mind decided to superimpose an image of a Labrador and Golden Retriever off-leash greeting each other with their tails wagging happily as they played and sniffed each other.

She was brought out of her imagination when she heard an exaggerated gasp from Steve.

“Lauren, you never told me you could sing!”

“It never came up?” She replied bewilderedly. She wondered what Thor told him.

“I must say, my lady, I am quite looking forward to hearing your stories of victory you were singing about earlier.”

That made her pause. She tried to recall what songs of victory she sang. She could only recall singing [“I’m Alive”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfE7NOuT9tA) by BECCA that she was very surprised to hear. It was a song that she loved way back in high school. She never heard it played in mainstream media. Regardless, she tried to explain to him that she was only singing along to the songs she was listening to. His confused expression prompted her to let him try the headphones that still had music playing through them.

While Thor was learning the wonders of modern music she turned her attention to Steve who was smiling at her mischievously.

“What?” She asked exasperatedly.

“So, imagine my surprise when Bucky told me about that Cervus guy sending you an expensive gift. You sure the dude’s just a _friend_?”

Her mouth opened to deny his statement but her earlier thoughts stopped her. She already made the mistake of acknowledging her feelings too late after years of denial before. Maybe she should just give it a chance? She acknowledged that she admired the guy greatly, but she wasn’t _in love_ with the dude. Yup, she definitely wasn’t.

Steve seemed to know just exactly what she was thinking of by the knowing look on his face. It made her want to throw something at it to get rid of it.

By then Thor seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed listening to music using the headphones and decided to tell them so. Very loudly in fact.

“This is wonderful! May I borrow this piece of technology?”

Lauren quickly moved to remove the headphones from his ears so he would return to not shouting. She smiled at him telling him that she found the headphones in the communal so anyone could use it. It was confirmed by Steve who nodded his head and proceeded to point them to where they were usually stored. Steve was quick to teach Thor how to use it, eager to share the knowledge that he himself just recently acquired.

Once that was done, Lauren checked the time and was surprised that it was already late in the afternoon. When she asked them if they wanted to have snacks, she realized that she had yet to introduce herself to Thor. Steve was partial to the idea of having a snack but had no preference while Thor excitedly asked for Pop-Tarts.

She smiled at Thor’s antics that only strengthened the image of him as an excitable Labrador puppy. “Labrathor” her mind easily supplied.

“While I’m enjoying being referred to as a lady. I think it would be best for me to introduce myself. Formally…” She offered her hand out to Thor and once he reached out she quickly grasped his hand and gave it one shake with a firm grip. “Lauren Grimms – personal chef to the Avengers apparently.” She gave him a cheeky smile, he squeezed her hand lightly in response to her introduction and returned the smile. They let go soon after. “Please just call me Lauren.”

“Well met Lady Lauren.” He responded. She grimaced minutely at the title but was quick to school her features.

“So... Pop-Tarts?” She asked hesitantly. She’s heard of them, even seen them whenever she bought her groceries. But she’s never had them. Come to think of it, in all the times she’s cooked in the communal kitchen she never saw a single box while she was rummaging through the pantry searching for something to cook.

“Is that a suggestion or a question?” Steve teased.

“Both? I haven’t seen any in here though.”

She could see Thor visibly deflating at her statement.

“It’s probably in one of the higher cabinets. Tony made sure that we’d always have some available for whenever Thor’s here. Given how tiny you are you probably didn’t see it.”

She glared at him for that comment. They moved to the kitchen, Lauren moving ahead of the two. Without any preamble, she took off her shoes and climbed onto the counter to reach the top cabinets. She could hear Steve and Thor’s amusement behind her as she tried to find the Thunder God’s Pop-Tart Stash.

She found them a few cabinets later and carefully set herself down. She was greeted by the amused smiles of not only Steve and Thor – Sam, James and Nat were there all looking amused. She could see the hint of respect in Nat’s eyes though.

“What? It isn’t my fault this country builds everything for you taller people.”

Sam, James, and Steve – being the little shits they were – guffawed at her remark. She was tempted to lump Thor with them for laughing too, but it was only their first meeting. Their laughs were contagious enough that Nat’s mouth broke into a wide smile.

She really didn’t know how else to react except for sticking her tongue out to them childishly. Though that only made them laugh harder. She could only sigh and ignore them if she wanted to get dinner ready on time, not to mention that she also had to make them snacks. And ignore them she did, she quickly read the instructions on the box of Pop-Tarts which was simple enough. Just stick them in a toaster and you were done. The box she grabbed was strawberry flavored which she was looking forward to.

She took the liberty of taking one of the first pieces of Pop-Tarts that she warmed up and offered the other one to Thor who practically lit up.

She wasn’t sure what to expect of a Pop-Tart, but it didn’t live up to the hype. A bit disappointing if she was honest, but she didn’t dare share her opinion. To put it simply it was sort of a frosted flat… pie? Or maybe calling it a turnover was more accurate. Regardless, she did make a mental note to maybe try making a homemade version. It was a bit too dry for her so she poured herself a glass of milk to go with it. For some reason, it made her crave for some lemon bars. So after finishing off her glass of milk and ridding her fingers of crumbs she set herself to work.

Since Thor was likely to eat as much and probably even more than Steve and James – something easy but filling would be best. Roasted chicken and veggies would be a good idea, along with some spaghetti Bolognese for carbs. The lemon bars were good for dessert so its tartness would cut through the heartiness of the two meals. For appetizer – her eyes caught onto the distinct shape of a baguette wrapped in parchment – bruschetta it was then. It was really just grill toasted bread topped with tomatoes. Though for variety, cucumbers, olives, and feta cheese would be mixed in with the tomatoes – a Greek salad topping basically.

She stopped and evaluated the ingredients she gathered. The chicken might not be enough for everyone, it was on the larger side but with the addition of someone with a large appetite, it might not be enough. There really wasn’t much room to cook a second chicken, so another meat dish would be needed.

Her eyebrows scrunched up in concentration as she tried to think of another meat dish. Most of what came to her mind didn’t really go with the theme or were tomato-based. She went to do another sweep of the kitchen for ideas. When that didn’t help any she gave up and opted to order some pizza.

“Steve? Mind if you called for some pizza?” She paused, she felt like had to justify the delivery despite her preparations. But before she could start explaining Steve already asked Friday to put in an order for the “usual” whatever that meant. She nodded in thanks and started to prepare everything else.

She started with the lemon bars to allow it to cool. The refreshing smell of lemons energized her so that there was a skip to her step as she went about the kitchen. While the crust was baking she asked everyone in the room if it was okay for her to play some music. They gave their assent with Thor requesting for the song that spoke of being a warrior that she sang earlier. It made her realize that he was watching for much longer than she thought. She was really glad that she hadn’t started dancing then. She quickly prepared the lemon curd for the lemon bars and started preparing for the main meal.

As she chopped up all the vegetables she needed she would quietly sing along a line or two of the songs that played which curiously consisted of songs that she had on her sing-a-long playlist. Her attention was so focused on preparing the food that by the time the Bolognese sauce was simmering away and the chicken was roasting she was singing along loud enough to be heard by the other two with each song that played. By the time that she was finishing up all the food, her audience had increased who were all very much amused.

When she remembered where she was, she snapped her mouth shut and turned her attention towards the rest of the communal. She fervently hoped that she only had the two blond men as her audience. Only to be met by the large smiles of the entire Avengers team plus Peter. She could feel her entire body warm up in embarrassment though managed to squeak out a small ‘Hi’ before Clint declared:

“We are definitely having a karaoke night soon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be posted about 3 weeks ago... but would you guys believe that I was hung-up about the Pop-Tarts? The aforementioned experience with them is my own and is therefore very limited. I try not to give an opinion on anything I have minimal experience with hence my hesitance to put this chapter up without at least trying them again, which was sadly not possible.
> 
> TL: DR author was hesitant about Pop-Tarts which is why this chapter took longer than planned
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed it regardless, 'til the next one!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been a long time coming. This is inspired by [ this tumblr post .](https://theunholygrails.tumblr.com/post/157215308709/avengers-preference-karaoke-night)
> 
> I had a lot of fun with this chapter, so much so that I even made a [ Spotify playlist ](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7M3mN4QtJe8osNL6ylRy9O) for it. There are a few songs that will have links, which are meant to help you visualize the scene or how I think a certain character would sound. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

The weekend after meeting Thor, Lauren found herself browsing the aisles of a grocery in search of karaoke night munchies. She could have asked Friday to just order it online and have it delivered, but she wanted to go shop for them herself. There was something about picking up stuff for a party yourself that added to the excitement. Added being the keyword. Yes, she was definitely excited for karaoke night.

She never mentioned her love of singing to Steve, or any of her college friends. Though she couldn’t recall why she chose to keep it to herself. For close to 6 years she stuck to just humming or mouthing the lyrics of any song. She didn’t even dare to sing out loud in the comfort of her flat. If she ever did, her voice always just above a whisper when she did. The only time she sang to her heart’s content was during the summers she was back in the Philippines or Japan, where the people around her were already aware of her singing. Even then, those opportunities were far in between. That she sang out loud in the communal told her just how comfortable she’s gotten with the Team. It’s the fastest she’s ever gotten comfortable with anyone. It took her about 3 months to open up to her two best friends when they first met. So it was definitely surprising to her, that she was this comfortable with them just after a week.

So despite the unplanned revelation of her hidden talent to the team, she had no regret. In fact, she was quite thankful for it. Not because she was gaining good friends, but also because she missed singing. When she was still studying in Japan karaoke nights were a regular choice to pass the time after school. So if the team finding out she could sing meant karaoke nights were going to be a regular thing, she had no complaints. In fact, she was _really_ looking forward to it. Therefore, she was going all out to prepare not just because she was excited, but also because she wanted to show them how much she appreciated the comfort they somehow offered to her. It didn’t matter that they knew it or not.

Tony already had the alcohol covered. So all that was left were the snacks. Chips were a given, maybe some popcorn, fries too. She briefly tried to recall if she’s seen anyone in the team use hot sauce but her memory failed her. She decided on teriyaki glazed chicken wings for finger food and maybe some fried mozzarella sticks since she already had the oil going anyway. The cheese sticks were going to be of the frozen kind since frying the wings were going to take a while. Some sweets would probably a good idea – sour tape, gummy bears, M&Ms, and maybe chocolate covered nuts.

She idly continued to browse the aisles grabbing whatever caught her eye since Tony pretty much gave her free reign to his credit card for groceries. Her pushcart was already almost full when she realized she was already in the fresh produce section. An odd craving for strawberries coursed through her that prompted her to make a beeline towards the fruits and grab half of the strawberries. She vaguely remembered Clint snacking on some blueberries so she grabbed some of those too.

After she went over her mental checklist to make sure she had everything, she made her way towards the cashiers to pay. As she was unloading all the groceries, a shock of grey hair caught her eye. While it wasn’t uncommon to see grey as a hair color nowadays, this particular set of hair seemed to defy gravity in the way that it stood out in different directions. Once she was able to unload everything, she turned to get a proper look at the owner of said hair.

The person’s unruly hairstyle didn’t seem to lessen their attractiveness at all. As her eyes went down from their hair to their eyes, noticing the scar that ran down their left eye. The scar nagged at her. She felt like she’s seen it before. Before her brain could match it with someone in her memories, she had to turn away and hand over Tony’s credit card when the cashier called out the total.

As she was helping the cashier pack away all the groceries, she felt someone approach her asking:

“Mind if I help you with that?”

The voice had her turning around so quickly she nearly gave herself whiplash. The low silvery voice was very familiar. What was it with her Japanese friends appearing to her unannounced?

She took a good look at the owner of the voice. It was the same person with the familiar unruly, silvery-grey hair. The bottom half of their face was covered by a wide scarf. The nagging feeling she got from the scar running down their left eye made sense now. The pawprint covered package she received recently should have told her that he’d turn up soon, but she chose to ignore it.

“Kashi-nii?” She asked cautiously. The scar and half-covered face was a dead giveaway, but one couldn’t be too sure. After all, someone showing up on the other side of the world where they were supposed to be was supposed to be uncommon.

“Yo!” He replied as he nonchalantly took half of the groceries.

“What-…? How…? Ugh…” Lauren sputtered. It was one thing for Cervus to tell her that he was stateside. But her sort-of-mentor slash brother figure showing up unannounced as she was paying for groceries was a whole other thing. Because really, just… how?

He gave her an eye smile, seeing as the entire bottom half of his face was covered up with his scarf. She had no idea why he liked doing that but to each their own. He made his way to the exit and she had no choice but to follow since he was holding half of her purchases.

He led her towards a silver car, loaded up the groceries he held, and motioned for her to do the same. She got in after he wordlessly got into the driver’s seat, knowing she’d get an explanation faster if she just went along with it.

After a few minutes of silence, she decided she couldn’t wait any longer. She still had food to prepare after all.

“Ano sa… setsumei shite kudasai? Kashi-nii?” She asked trying not to sound like she was rushing him. She needed explanations! How on earth did he know that she was living in the Avengers Tower? How did he find her today? And also, why on earth did he give her a gun? As much as she respected and looked up to him. His actions needed to be explained. Which reminded her, how the fuck was he able to by-pass Stark’s security network?

Lauren’s mind continued to spin with questions as her silver-haired companion chose to stay silent. She was forced to wait a few more minutes before he decided to answer her.

“You got my gift?” He started, which earned him a blank stare. “I’ll take that as a ‘yes’ then, though the how… you’ll find out eventually.”

“That still doesn’t explain, _why_ you gave me fucking gun. Also, how in the world did you know where to send it?” She scowled at him as she muttered under her breath how disturbing it was that he somehow found her.

“You’ll find out eventually.” He repeated, which just made her raise an eyebrow at him in annoyance.

“I thought you resigned?”

“There was a very generous offer.”

His vague answers only increased her questions. What offer? And if he was back on the force, how in the fuck did they find her? She had minimal social media presence. The main reason why she kept her social media accounts active was to keep in touch with her friends and family. Was it possible that they were somehow able to find a way to access her messages? Or maybe even somehow got a GPS tracker on her? It was a very disturbing thought. Especially when she considered that she was staying in what is presumably one of the most secure buildings in New York.

“All that tells me nothing. _No-thing…._ ” She made sure to emphasize her annoyance. She even added in a choking gesture to make sure he knew how annoyed she was.

“Maa, maa…” He replied, unfazed as he ruffled her hair. With amusement clear in his voice, he vaguely answered, “Let’s just say you’ll get a very… generous offer in a few months regarding your more… unique skill set.”

Lauren groaned and cursed him outright which only got another amused chuckle from the silver-haired man. When she was done cursing him she gave a heavy sigh and said:

“Fine, if you want to be vague I’ll just give you my best guess.” She took a deep breath wanting to get out as much as possible, in the vain hope that he’d change his mind and answer her properly. When he made no sign of stopping her, she continued with a huff. “You called in a favor from one of your old buddies in the force to find me when you realized that I graduated from college so you could send me a present or something. But then _somehow_ you found out I’m living in the Avengers Tower and thought ‘Oh, maybe I should give her something to defend herself since a lot of shit goes on with the Avengers’ and decided to get me the gun I really liked when you were teaching me how to shoot.” She raised a challenging eyebrow at him, hoping that her guess was right because she didn’t want to be filled with paranoid thoughts then have to explain to the Avengers (Tony especially) why she was being so paranoid.

“Sure.”

His nonchalant response was the last straw. Luckily, they were close to the Tower so she could just try to forget that this one-sided conversation happened once she got off. She groaned and gave up.

“Fine, be that way. Keep your secrets.” She narrowed her eyes at him for added effect and held it for a few seconds before she gave up entirely. She sighed as the car pulled up in front of the Tower. She released her seatbelt and turned to face him fully to ask: “I’ll get my answers in a few months?”

He met her eyes straight-on holding their stare-off for a few seconds before giving her another eye smile. She took it as confirmation and exited the car without another word. She called the attention of the doorman to help her bring the groceries to the elevator so she could give a proper farewell to her annoying sort-of-mentor slash brother-figure.

Once the groceries were unloaded, she turned to face him. “Next time I see you I expect a full explanation of all this shit you’re making me hide from my boss and housemates, who are pretty much also my friends.” She glared at him when he gave her a raised eyebrow in response to her calling the Avengers her friends. “Shut up you fucking scarecrow. They’re the _Avengers_! You’re lucky they didn’t ask too many questions. It was fucking troublesome.” She chided him.

“If you say so.”

With that, she gave him a hug making sure to pull his scarf tight as she did just to annoy him. He retaliated by patting her head like she was a kid. She took it with a pout, knowing that retaliation was futile. They parted ways and he drove off. She continued to follow his car with her eyes until he turned the corner. When he did, she turned around to enter the building only to be greeted by the super-soldier duo.

“Was that bookstore guy?” James teased with a large grin, which made her sigh.

“Nah, just a family friend who happened to be in the area.” She explained vaguely since it was the closest definition she had to who just dropped her off. It was also the only explanation she could give that didn’t dig up questions she had no answers to.

Thankfully, the two blue-eyed men accepted her answer and took the last of the groceries off her hands.

“Did you guys just come from somewhere?”

“Nah, Friday told us you arrived so we came down to help you with the stuff,” James replied offhandedly. “Figured that you’d go crazy with the shopping since Tony gave you his credit card.”

She had the decency to blush since she did buy quite a lot. “Well you guys eat as much as a two dozen people without Thor around so…” She tried to defend half-heartedly, “Besides, I could’ve done worse.” She added vividly recalling her mom’s version of a grocery trip. Hoarding would be an apt description of it. The memory of her mom returning from the grocery to buy bread with a large box full of things other than bread made her smile.

* * *

Evening arrived at a crawl for Lauren, she prepared everything as soon as she arrived. The only thing left to do was to fry the chicken and mozzarella sticks and nuke the popcorn. She already made four dips for the chips and even added in some veggie sticks. Salsa, cheddar cheese dip, garlic herb cream cheese dip, and guacamole. There was still about an hour and a half more before the agreed time and she was already restless with excitement. So for the 45 minutes, she had to kill before she had to start frying she decided to just listen to music while she checked on her social media accounts.

Just as she was about to start the music, Tony came in with the karaoke system. She didn’t know why, but she didn’t expect him to come in with just the system. She expected a stage, mic stands, and maybe even a teleprompter or something. Mostly because – Tony Stark.

“Mind playing some music while you set that up?” She called out to him as he unpacked and connected the system to a large TV that came out of the wall.

“Sure thing,” he replied as he started to connect the system to the TV. “Friday?” was all he said to prompt the A.I. to do as she requested. It will take her a good while to get used to living in a building run by an A.I.

She hears a familiar intro that makes her bob her head along to the beat as the song plays on. She doesn’t remember the first few verses but as the bridge comes on her face lit up and she softly sang the chorus.

_Pour some sugar on me_

_Ooh, in the name of love_

_Pour some sugar on me_

_C’mon, fire me up_

If she was honest, she only really knew the lyrics to the chorus but she enjoyed the song nonetheless. The song continued on then faded off to another song whose intro she immediately recognized.

_Darlin’ you got to let me know_

_Should I stay or should I go?_

She continued to sing softly, but whenever the beat picked up she unconsciously started to sing a bit louder that eventually, Tony turned around to look at her – not that she noticed.

_Should I stay or should I go now?_

_Should I stay or should I go now?_

_If I go there will be trouble_

_And if I stay it will be double_

_So ‘ya gotta let me know_

_Should I cool it or should I blow?_

“Well, that was totally unexpected. I didn’t peg you as a musically cultured person.”

She had to raise an eyebrow at him, she felt mildly offended. She couldn’t help but chuckle at his indignant “What?”

“If there’s one thing you must learn about us Filipinos, Tony, it’s that we love our karaoke.”

He made a face that said he sort of got it but not really. He made a motion for her to elaborate as he turned around and continued to set up.

“My mom had me when she was 40 and has a 9-year gap with my dad. So, that and having a family that loves music but has their own unique tastes… Well, let’s just say it’s hard for me to say that my music library is very confused.” She finished with a shrug.

“We should have karaoke night at least once a month then.” Tony replied offhandedly, “weekly even, if we could.” He amended,

Lauren wanted to squeal and dance a little at his offer. She was about to impulsively hug him when Steve and James arrived carrying a small platform that Tony directed them to put down in front of the TV. Sam and Peter came in next, carrying mic stands and a teleprompter. When she saw this the only thing she could think of was, ‘I was right.’

They fixed everything up and the music kept on playing, a few more songs from the 80s that Lauren sang along to. Everyone who came in saw her mouthing along with the words and could hear her singing along a few lines. They all exchanged looks and made sure to point it out to everyone who came in after.

Once almost everyone expected arrived, Lauren started frying, making sure to turn on the exhaust fan so the smell of oil won’t fill the communal. Steve and James started to move the snacks on the coffee table while Thor set the cooler on the side of the coffee table. By the sound of its thud as it was set down, it already had the beers in it. With the karaoke set up done, Tony was filling up a smaller cooler with a cocktail. Peter volunteered to nuke the popcorn while Nat and Clint were practically baby proofing the communal. ~~Lauren tried very hard not to think of what that implied for tonight.~~ Once Bruce realized what Nat and Clint were doing, he brought out the first aid kit and made sure it was somewhere they could easily see and access ~~(even when very inebriated)~~.

Pepper wasn’t there yet but that was expected since she had to fly over to California for a meeting. Although she promised Tony that she’ll drop by before leaving. It was probably why Tony was very liberal with the amount of alcohol. (see: no babysitter) How he got Steve to agree with the amount of alcohol there was she didn’t want to know. Though it said something about their friendship, although it was clearly still strained, they were slowly fixing it.

With everything ready, Tony served everyone shots. Peter included - but his was a mocktail. The kid also had his own cooler of soda and juices, he won’t get drunk from alcohol but would probably get drunk from all the sugar. He was already eating some of the sweets.

Tony told everyone to take their shots saying that they won’t start karaoke if they don’t. He first tried to subtly guilt those who didn’t want to drink (yet) by pointing out how excited Lauren was. She eventually caught on and started making puppy dog eyes at whoever Tony was trying to convince. When they were sure that everyone had some alcohol in them, Clint went up the stage and prompted Bruce to start the song. Lauren wasn’t the only one excited for karaoke it seemed. He started off the night with Call Me Maybe, he sings it so enthusiastically that everyone’s energized and starts singing along to the chorus.

By the time he’s done, Peter’s so hyped up on sugar that he grabs the remote from Bruce (who’s volunteered to be the night’s DJ and clearly stated he has no intention to go up the stage) and follows up Clint’s Call Me Maybe with Thrift Shop, where even though the accompaniment is there he still chooses to make his own sound effects when he can. He even does the same hand gestures as they do in the music video. It was quite a memorable performance for the start of the night.

Tony, not wanting to be outdone by his protégé, tells Bruce to enter “his song”. Everyone expected an AC/DC song to come on. Instead, the orchestral intro of [Defying Gravity](https://open.spotify.com/track/3Nq9xkP81kyrFZes2uV7Sn) from Wicked came on. Comments of “Holy Shit” (Lauren) and “Is he serious?” (Clint) to which Bruce replied with a shrug when they turned to him for confirmation. He sings it with such gusto that just told that it was definitely _his_ song. If they eventually managed to make Bruce spill that Tony sang it at _least_ once whenever he worked in the lab, especially when he was frustrated with the project. Nevertheless, when he finished, he got a standing ovation.

Lauren isn’t daunted by his performance though and goes up next with Everytime We Touch that gets everyone dancing a little, Peter and Clint even join her up on stage as backup dancers. They dance so erratically that everyone’s encouraged to just let themselves dance along energetically. Tony even adds to the chaos by calling out shots that a few take up his offer and downs a shot or two during the song. By the time the song’s done everyone’s a little red from dancing or the alcohol.

No one volunteers to go next, so Bruce plays a few upbeat Disney songs. Why? Because everyone knew those, even if it was just the chorus. Clint noticed that she knew _all_ the songs in their entirety and so plopped the second mic in her hand. It almost never left her hand that night except for when there were duets who went up. Tony made a note to get a third mic for the system.

Sam then whispered something to Bruce and pulled her up the stage after taking a sip of his beer. Bruce entered the song and Sam just smiled at her as she stood there with him awkwardly. He started off the song that she recognizes quickly enough that she’s able to do the female part of the intro.

_Now I’ve had the time of my life_

_No, I’ve never felt like this before_

_Yes, I swear, it’s the truth_

_And I owe it all to you_

_ Cause I’ve had the time of my life _

_ And I owe it all to you _

Her quick uptake of the song just made Sam grin as if he knew something she didn’t. Sam then decided that they should dance along with the song and took her hand and starts doing the basic salsa step albeit in smaller movement. Tony and Peter then decide to join in when the [part that leads up to the lift](https://youtu.be/WpmILPAcRQo?t=142) comes up and do the whole sequence complete with the lift. It was both so ridiculous and amusing that during the short instrumental before the song ended Thor makes Peter do the lift with him too. By the time the song was ending Thor was practically just juggling Peter in the air that they were having a hard time completing the lyrics.

After that, no one went up as most were still trying to catch their breath and compose their selves from laughing so much. Bruce then decided to play Circle of Life which everyone tried to sing the intro of. Their botched attempt and different lyrics of a few threw everyone into another laughing fit for the rest of the song. In the interim of catching their breaths, Sam somehow managed to convince Steve to go up and sing with James. Lauren expected them to choose a song from the 30s but was pleasantly surprised when they sang [Under Pressure.](https://www.smule.com/song/queen-and-david-bowie-under-pressure-true-duet-karaoke-lyrics/290686139_243701/arrangement)

While they were singing, Lauren prompts Sam to sing solo which he initially shot down, but after she promised to help him convince Steve and James do a solo song too he goes over the songbook and chooses Higher Ground by Stevie Wonder. After that point though he joins Lauren in with singing along to any song that he knew.

After Steve and James’s song, Tony calls on Peter to sing If I Didn’t Have You. Which seems to have been planned because they acted out the song flawlessly. During this Lauren and Sam teamed up to convince James and Steve to sing solo too. Steve needed more convincing and a little more of Thor’s Asgardian Liquid Courage (it was the only thing that could get the two inebriated). James goes first singing [I Get a Kick Out of You.](https://open.spotify.com/track/6AqCXpbWs2dTMWZqVULpG7) Steve doesn’t go up immediately after, letting Bruce play another Disney song that everyone sang along to. Thor somehow convinced him to go immediately after that song.

Sam and James tease him by singing The Star-Spangled Man with a Plan as they waited for Bruce to enter his song. Everyone sort of expected him to actually do it, he later admitted that it was his first choice for a solo song but then saw [Over the Rainbow](https://open.spotify.com/track/3INaB4OK2i2rxB5y2otkGH) and just had to sing it.

When he finished, Clint chimes up that the next song is for Lauren in a challenging tone. She isn’t drunk yet, but the amount of alcohol in her system makes her a little bolder than she goes up the stage with no questions asked. The backup vocals of Love on Top start and the song made her smirk at Clint as if to say “You call this a challenge?” She says the first line with pizzaz, and makes a performance out of the song, Friday somehow catches on and played the appropriate sound effects and adjusted the lighting to go with the beat and lighting. As she comes to the part where the pitch started to climb she gets loud cheers from everyone each time she reached the high note. She ends the song with one last high note that earns her a standing ovation along with a call for shots from Tony to celebrate her performance.

Thor then decides to chug his ale along with a shot of the Asgardian wine and went up to Bruce. After he made sure that Bruce found his song, he went up the stage and waited for the song. Everyone looked on in anticipation, so when the intro of I was Made for Lovin’ You came on Tony made sure to cheer loudly along with a few others. He wasn’t the best singer and often goes off-key but he makes up for it in his enthusiasm. He’s so into the song that Steve and James have to coax him down the stage with promises of more beer. Everyone then has a silent agreement to always have someone to distract him from a repeat performance.

From then on, the next choices seemed to have been chosen for shits and giggles. Although they all decided to match Thor’s enthusiasm with their performances. Peter goes first with Stand Up, channeling his inner Michael Jackson with his dance moves. His performance seemed to have drained the last of his energy because once he sat down he started to nod off but was valiantly trying to stay awake. “Sugar crash,” he mumbles when Clint offers him a cup of coffee which he gratefully accepts. He perked up when he saw Steve approach Bruce once more without prompting and went up the stage and performed Let it Go. He’s so into the song and everyone loves it. Lauren sings along with him and gets a wink in response. Whenever the line “the cold never bothered me anyway” came up, James would grab the mic from her practically shouting it, especially the last line. He doesn’t let go of the mic and approaches Bruce once more, strutting to the stage as the intro to [It’s All Coming Back to Me Now](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TppJMa8apkc) started.

James’ performance is witnessed by Pepper who caught the tail end of it. Tony then manages to convince Pepper to sing one song with him before she flew off to California. They sing Cruisin’ together, whose slow tempo signaled them to start winding down. Tony follows up their song with [I was Meant for the Stage.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QinHynLl3E) Clint then goes next with I’m Still Here.

Nat who’s been quiet most of the night except for cheers and catcalls told Bruce her song and went up the stage saying “Now that I’m sure everyone’s inebriated…” She snaps and whatever lights were left turned off, and she’s given a spotlight as she sang the first lines of [La Vie En Rose](https://open.spotify.com/track/0rBrQmRoLoGvZ1m2saalKU). She gave an epic performance reminiscent of lounge singers from the 50s. She gave all the boys little touches and caresses but interacted more intimately with Lauren. She ends the song with a grin but quickly, morphed into a blank face and said “This never happened.” After which she gave another smile to the crowd and went back to her seat.

By this time, everyone’s pretty much drunk. Peter is milking the last of the effects of his one cup of coffee with Thor who’s still singing I was Made for Lovin’ You. Steve, James, and Sam are having an animated discussion about one thing or another. Tony and Clint were talking about adding more destructive power to the arrows, with Nat chiming in from time to time. Bruce and Lauren were browsing the songbook together, entering whatever slow song they recognized just to make sure that music kept playing in the background. Eventually, people started dozing off in their seats. Peter was first, followed surprisingly by Thor, who decided to just curl up on the rug beside Peter’s seat. Next to doze off was Sam, Nat, and Clint. Tony followed almost an hour after Clint, but not before calling Lauren a walking jukebox. Steve, James, and Lauren were the last to doze off, but only after Lauren prompted the two to grab some blankets for everyone for some level of comfort. Friday then chose to take over the music and played some soft instrumentals to which the last three standing eventually dozed off too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A wild Naruto character appeared! Which makes the identity of Cervus very obvious. :D The only things from Naruto that will be appearing in this fic will be things involving the two characters that have already appeared so I won't be listing this as a crossover fic. With that, I wanna know...
> 
> What is your favorite part so far? 
> 
> Also, you might have noticed that the link for Under Pressure was just lyrics, this is mostly because I was not aware that the song was actually a duet until I was writing this chapter. Not sure if I never noticed the two different voices or because I've been listening to live versions of the songs. So yes, TIL. Also, if you guys notice any grammatical errors please let me know. I posted this as soon as I was done and have very little intention to read it over atm. So let me know if I missed any errors. 
> 
> Thank you once again for all the kudos, comments, and bookmarks!
> 
> P.S. This chapter is the longest one so far, I hope to be able to put as much content in the future chapters but that is unlikely. I'll try my best though.


End file.
